The nervous system is a crazy complex system that consists of only three real organs and specialized tissues: the brain, the spinal cord and peripheral spinal cords.
| Gross organization of the mammalian nervous system | |
| Anterior (aka Rostral) | Towards the nose, the front of the brain |
| Posterior (aka Caudal) | Towards the behind, the butt of the brain |
| Dorsal | the top side of the brain |
| Ventral | the underside of the brain |
| Midline | the invisible line that divides the two hemispheres of the brain and body |
| Medial | structures closer to the midline |
| Lateral | structures farther from the midline |
| Ipsilateral | structures on the same side (right ear & right eye) |
| Contralateral | structures in the brain that are on opposite sides of the brain (two ears are contralateral to each other) |
The Planes of the Brain
Sagittal plane: Slices in the middle of the brain, thinner slices than coronal, perpendicular to coronal
Horizontal plane: perpendicular to the floor. You don’t cut bread like this. Sheets of paper
Coronal plane: How you cut meat, bread, and other sorts of food. Slices.
The Central Nervous System (CNS) = Brain and Spinal Cord
There are three main divisions of the brain: the cerebellum (lizard brain), the cerebrum (higher order executive function), and the brain stem (involuntary bodily processes). The brain starts forming on the 1st week of pregnancy, and is completed at the end of the first trimester and continues to grow and mylineate until the person’s 25th birthday.
Spinal Cords
| Root | Direction | Control |
| Ventral | towards the spinal cord | sensation |
| Dorsal | away from spinal cord | muscle |
Nico Addai 
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