Neuroimaging clinics of North America
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Conventional MR imaging does not discriminate basal ganglia and thalamic internal anatomy well. Radiology reports describe anatomic locations but not specific functional structures. ⋯ Better visualization also may improve treatments for movement disorders and other emerging functional neurosurgery targets. We aim to provide an accessible review of the most clinically-relevant neuroanatomy within the thalamus and basal ganglia.
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Strong foundational knowledge of the anatomy of the cerebral cortex, lobes, and cerebellum is key to guide the search for potential lesions based on clinical presentation and known focal neurologic deficits. This article provides an introduction and overview of cerebral cortical anatomy, including the key sulci that divide the 4 lobes of the cerebral cortex, as well as the major gyral and sulcal landmarks within each lobe. The organization of the cerebellum and its major anatomic constituents are also described. Commonly encountered anatomic variants and asymmetries in cerebral cortical anatomy are presented and discussed.
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Advances in MR imaging techniques have allowed for detailed in vivo depiction of white matter tracts. The study of white matter structure and connectivity is of paramount importance in leukodystrophies, demyelinating disorders, neoplasms, and various cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and developmental disorders. The advent of advanced "function-preserving" surgical techniques also makes it imperative to understand white matter anatomy and connectivity, to provide accurate road maps for tumor and epilepsy surgery. In this review, we will describe cerebral white matter anatomy with the help of conventional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging.
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The cerebral venous system is complex and sophisticated and serves various major functions toward maintaining brain homeostasis. Cerebral veins contain about 70% of cerebral blood volume, have thin walls, are valveless, and cross seamlessly white matter, ependymal, cisternal, arachnoid, and dural boundaries to eventually drain cerebral blood either into dural sinuses or deep cerebral veins. ⋯ A reasonable understanding of cerebral vascular embryology is helpful to appreciate normal anatomy and variations that have clinical relevance. Increasing interest in transvascular therapy, particularly transvenous endovascular intervention provides justification for practitioners in the neurosciences to acquire at least a basic understanding of the cerebral venous system.
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Human brain function is an increasingly complex framework that has important implications in clinical medicine. In this review, the anatomy of the most commonly assessed brain functions in clinical neuroradiology, including motor, language, and vision, is discussed. ⋯ Next, the dual stream of language processing is reviewed, as well as its implications in clinical medicine and surgical planning. Last, the authors discuss the striate and extrastriate visual cortex and review the dual stream model of visual processing.