Functional Neuroanatomy The Central Nervous System
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The central portion of the nervous system consists of a long, complex brain (encephalon) and an elongated spinal cord (medulla spinalis). The brain is further subdivided into cerebrum, the brain stem and the cerebellum. The brain stem consists of the midbrain (mesencephalon), pons (metencephalon), and medulla oblongata. The cerebellum includes the vermus and two lateral lobes. The brain, which is hollow, contains a system of ventricles; the spinal cord has a narrow central canal. These spaces are filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
In dealing with the complexities of this great rostral mass of brain, basic landmarks are needed; and the most useful and universal of these are the ventricles.
The most rostral chamber is the third ventricle; the narrow passage is the cerebral aqueduct; and the caudal chamber is the fourth ventricle. The latter continues caudally into the residual central canal of the spinal cord.
The part of the brain containing the third ventricle is the forebrain; that part containing the aqueduct is the midbrain; and that part containing the fourth ventricle and its caudal continuation to the cord is the hindbrain...