1. The Brain

The central nervous system (CNS) comprises the brain and the spinal cord and includes the supplying vessels, meningeal coverings, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Any single cross-sectional image contains all of these. It is useful to appreciate each of these components for a fixed number of cross-sectional positions. Each of these positions should be named according to some characteristic finding on that slice. More detailed anatomy is required for the midline sagittal cut. The suprasellar region, the pineal region, the posterior fossa, and the region of the major deep grey nuclei have many detailed anatomical labels and have been highlighted individually. This chapter provides a tour in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes, and then draws attention to details of specific regions. There are also special sections on the hippocampus, cerebral vessels, cranial nerves, and spinal cord. Surface anatomy, functional areas, and white matter tracts are presented in detail as they represent emerging tools representing anatomy not well-visualised using traditional methods. The globe and pituitary gland will be dealt with in more detail in other sections of this book.