Important Locations in the Brain

The human brain is a complex organ, with many interrelated parts. In order to understand neuroscience, we need a common anatomical language and understanding as we refer to model systems and the unique problems that each part of the brain is designed to solve. We begin the task of learning the structure of the human brain with these learning objectives:

1. Enumerate the lobes of the brain.
2. Label the sulci (grooves) which divide the cerebrum into lobes.
3. Label the major gyri and functional areas of the cerebral cortex.
4. Identify the internal structures of the forebrain.
5. Name the key regions of the thalamus and hypothalamus.
6. Locate the major structures of the midbrain.
7. Recognize important structures of the pons and cerebellum.
8. Enumerate the major structures contained within the medulla.
9. Label the 12 cranial nerves.