List of anatomical items of the CNS

The essential items are printed in bold.

Meninges of the central nervous system
Cranial dura mater
Spinal dura mater
Cerebral falx
Cerebellar falx
Cerebellar tentorium
Tentorial notch
Sellar diaphragm
Superior sagittal sinus
Inferior sagittal sinus
Tranverse sinus
Straight sinus
Occipital sinus
Confluence of sinuses
Superior petrosal sinus
Inferior petrosal sinus
Cavernous sinus
Sphenoparietal sinus
Sigmoid sinus
Spinal arachnoid mater
Cranial arachnoid mater
Arachnoid granulations
Denticulate ligament
Spinal pia mater
Cranial pia mater
Epidural space
Subdural space
Subarachnoid space
Cistern magna / posterior cerebellomedullary cistern
Lumbar cistern
Cistern of lateral cerebral fossa
Interpeduncular cistern
Chiasmatic cistern
Cistern of the corpus callosum
Quadrigeminal cistern/ cistern of great cerebral vein

Blood vessels of the central nervous system

Vertebral artery
Basilar artery
Anterior spinal artery
Posterior spinal artery
Posterior inferior cerebellar artery
Anterior inferior cerebellar artery

1
Superior cerebellar artery
Pontine arteries
Labyrinthine artery
Internal carotid artery
Anterior cerebral artery
Middle cerebral artery
Posterior cerebral artery
Anterior communicating artery
Posterior communicating artery
Anterior choroid artery
Superior cerebral veins
Superficial middle cerebral vein
Superior anastomotic vein (of Trolard)
Inferior anastomotic vein (of Labbé)
Inferior cerebral veins
Superior veins of cerebellar hemisphere
Inferior veins of cerebellar hemisphere
Great cerebral vein (of Galen)
Basal vein (of Rosenthal)

Spinal cord
Anterior horn
Posterior horn
Lateral horn
Central canal
Posterior funiculus
Anterior funiculus
Lateral funiculus
Posterior median sulcus
Anterior median fissure
Dorsal and ventral roots of spinal nerves
Spinal ganglia
Cervical enlargement
Lumbosacral enlargement
Cauda equina
Conus medullaris
Filum terminale

Medulla oblongata
Pyramid
Anterior/ventral median fissure
Posterior/dorsal median sulcus
Inferior olive
Medial parolivary sulcus / pre-olivary groove
Lateral parolivary sulcus / retro-olivary groove
Decussation of pyramids

2
Inferior cerebellar peduncle
Exit of hypoglossal nerve from brain
Exits of glossopharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve and accessory nerve from brain
Spinal root of accessory nerve
Hypoglossal trigone
Vagal trigone
Area postrema
Obex
Gracile tubercle
Cuneate tubercle
Median aperture of the fourth ventricle / foramen of Magendie
Lateral apertures of the fourth ventricle / formina of Luschka

Pons
Basilar sulcus
Middle cerebellar peduncle
Median sulcus of rhomboid fossa
Medial eminence of rhomboid fossa
Sulcus limitans
Medullary striae of fourth ventricle
Locus ceruleus
Facial colliculus
Vestibular area of rhomboid fossa
Exit of facial nerve from brain
Exit of vestibular nerve from brain
Exit of abducent nerve from brain
Exit of trigeminal nerve from brain

Mesencephalon
Tectum / quadrigeminal plate: superior and inferior colliculi
Brachium of superior colliculus
Brachium of inferior colliculus
Cerebral peduncle, cerebral crus, base of peduncle
Tegmentum of midbrain
Interpeduncular fossa
Posterior perforated substance
Exit of oculomotor nerve from brain
Exit of trochlear nerve from brain
Cerebral aqueduct
Superior cerebellar peduncle
Substantia nigra

Cerebellum
Vermis
Cerebellar hemispheres
Vallecula of cerebellum

3
Arbor vitae
Tonsil of cerebellum
Cerebellar nuclei: dentate nucleus, globose nucleus, emboliform nucleus, fastigial
nucleus
Primary fissure
Horizontal fissure
Posterolateral fissure
Anterior lobe
Posterior lobe
Flocculonodular lobe
Fastigium
Superior medullary velum
Inferior medullary velum
Superior cerebellar peduncle
Middle cerebellar peduncle
Inferior cerebellar peduncle

Diencephalon
Mammillary body
Tuber cinereum
Optic nerve
Optic chiasm
Metathalamus: lateral geniculate body, medial geniculate body
Thalamus
Pulvinar
Interthalamic adhesion
Hypothalamic sulcus
Hypothalamus
Epithalamus: pineal body, habenulae, habenular commissure, posterior commissure,
pineal recess of third ventricle)
Choroid body/membrane, choroid plexus of third ventricle
Infundibular recess of third ventricle
Chiasmatic recess of third ventricle

Cerebrum
Longitudinal cerebral fissure

Superolateral surface of the cerebral hemisphere:

Central sulcus
Lateral sulcus (anterior ramus, ascending ramus, posterior ramus)
Insula
Precentral gyrus
Postcentral gyrus
Superior frontal gyrus
Middle frontal gyrus
Inferior frontal gyrus (orbital part, triangular part, opercular part)

4
Broca’s motor speech area
Superior parietal lobule
Intraparietal sulcus
Inferior parietal lobule
Supramarginal gyrus
Angular gyrus
Wernicke’s sensory language area
Occipital gyri
Superior temporal gyrus
Superior temporal sulcus
Middle temporal gyrus
Inferior temporal gyrus
Inferior temporal sulcus
Heschl’s convolutions
Insula

Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere:

Cingulate gyrus
Paracentral lobule
Precuneus
Parietooccipital sulcus
Cuneus
Calcarine sulcus
Lingual gyrus
Corpus callosum (rostrum, genu, trunk, splenium)
Fornix (columna, body, crus)
Interventricular foramen
Anterior commissure
Lamina terminalis
Septum pellucidum

Inferior surface of the cerebral hemisphere:

Orbital gyri
Straight gyrus
Olfactory bulb
Olfactory tract
Olfactory trigone
Olfactory sulcus
Anterior perforated substance
Parahippocampal gyrus
Uncus of parahippocampal gyrus
Lingual gyrus
Collateral sulcus
Medial occipitotemporal gyrus
Occipitotemporal sulcus
Lateral occipitotemporal gyrus

5
Inferior temporal sulcus

Lateral ventricle:
Central part
Anterior horn
Posterior horn
Inferior horn
Stria terminalis
Hippocampus
Pes hippocampi
Fimbria hippocampi
Dentate gyrus
Choroid plexus of lateral ventricle
Collateral eminence
Calcar avis

Basal nuclei:
Caudate nucleus
Lentiform nucleus (putamen, globus pallidus)
Claustrum
Amygdaloid body

White matter of the cerebral hemispheres:

Internal capsule
External capsule
Capsula extrema
Centrum semiovale