Brain in a Cut Section of the Skull

Description

Midsagittal sectioning through a male skull exposes the medial surfaces of the cerebrum and the full craniospinal axis, with the corpus callosum arching superior to the septum pellucidum and fornix, and the diencephalon sitting inferior and posterior to the third ventricle. The C shaped body of the lateral ventricle curves within the cerebral hemisphere, communicating medially through the interventricular foramen into the third ventricle, which continues caudally as the cerebral aqueduct through the midbrain to the fourth ventricle dorsal to the pons and rostral medulla oblongata. Bright blue cerebrospinal fluid highlights the ventricular cavities and adjacent subarachnoid spaces against the surrounding brain parenchyma. Clear landmarks. Seeing the ventricular system in true midline context matters when you are teaching CSF circulation and localizing obstructive hydrocephalus, where aqueductal stenosis enlarges the lateral and third ventricles while the fourth ventricle remains normal caliber. The same relationships guide interpretation of sagittal MRI in Chiari malformation, where crowding at the foramen magnum can distort the fourth ventricle and impair CSF flow at the cisterna magna. Neurosurgical orientation also benefits, since the brainstem segments (midbrain, pons, medulla) line up directly with the aqueduct and fourth ventricle rather than being learned as isolated blocks. Use this artwork in neuroanatomy and neuropathology teaching sets, radiology primers comparing midsagittal MRI to gross anatomy, or publisher layouts explaining ventriculomegaly, intraventricular hemorrhage, and CSF diversion (ventriculostomy, shunt) pathways. It also fits patient education materials when clinicians need a single, readable figure to explain where CSF forms and where it can be blocked. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.