The brain is one of the most complex organs of the Human body. On the full version of this video, we will explore its anatomy by looking at a horizontal cut. Click here to continue watching: [ Ссылка ]
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In the full version of this tutorial we are going to help you understand the orientation and structural anatomy of brain slices. Initially, we will try to give you a better understanding of which part of the slice lies anteriorly, and which posteriorly in the brain and most importantly why, by identifying structures that are unique in either the front or the back of the brain. Then we will cover the lateral sides of our horizontal sections by exploring them from the surface of the brain to the thalamus.
It is extremely important to remember the very crucial distinction between the gray matter and the white matter of the brain. You might remember that the gray matter refers to the regions of the brain occupied by the cell bodies of neurons - these regions appear in a slightly darker pink colour in the cross-sections.
The white matter refers to the whiter regions you can see where neuronal axons are often covered in lipid-rich sheaths of myelin, which appears white when fresh. The dense layers of myelin causes most light to be reflected back to the viewer. Areas that are not myelinated heavily, such as the gray matter, absorb much more light and thus appear darker.
Destruction of myelin would result in change of colour in a gross specimen but it is important to note that although the demyelinated area might have a colour similar to that of a gray matter area, it would not be considered a true gray matter area because as we have already explained - gray matter areas contains neuronal bodies while demyelinated areas still contain neuronal axons.
To master this topic, click on the link and carry on watching the full video (available to Premium members): [ Ссылка ] !
Want to test your knowledge on horizontal sections of the brain? Take this quiz: [ Ссылка ]
Read more on the horizontal sections of the brain on this complete article [ Ссылка ]
For more engaging video tutorials, interactive quizzes, articles and an atlas of Human anatomy and histology, go to [ Ссылка ]
