Brain, Anterior View

Description

Bisected cerebral hemispheres are presented from an anterior aspect, with the cut surface opening the median plane and bringing the corpus callosum into view as a thick arch of commissural white matter spanning left to right above the lateral ventricles. Superior to the callosal body, the medial frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus contour the interhemispheric fissure, while inferiorly the septum pellucidum and columns of the fornix sit in close relation to the third ventricle and diencephalic midline. More caudally, the brainstem aligns on the midline with the cerebellum positioned posterior and inferior, and the optic nerves converge toward the optic chiasm on the basal forebrain. Midline section anatomy is where students and surgeons often lose orientation, so this anterior median-plane presentation helps anchor the relationship between commissural fibers and the ventricular system. Callosal involvement is a recurring theme in neuroimaging and neuro-oncology, from agenesis of the corpus callosum and Probst bundles to transcallosal spread of glioblastoma producing a classic butterfly configuration across the hemispheres. The inferior midline landmarks also matter in endoscopic and transcranial approaches to the third ventricle, where the fornix and septal region define the safe corridor. A tight space. Use this illustration in gross neuroanatomy and neuroscience courses to teach sectional planes, commissures, and ventricular relationships, or in radiology and neurosurgery texts when correlating a midline cross section with CT and MRI anatomy of the corpus callosum, optic chiasm, and brainstem. It also supports patient-facing education on callosal malformations and midline tumors without sacrificing Terminologia Anatomica precision. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.