Nowinski WL, Chua BC, Qian G, et al. The Human Brain in 1492 Pieces: Structure, Vasculature, and Tracts. Thieme 2011, CD, $349.
The Human Brain in 1492 Pieces is an interactive CD that presents neuroanatomy in a digital format, a rather unique and different way from what we are used to normally seeing and learning. This CD has been created by many renowned scientists, the principal one of whom is Dr. Nowinski, who has previously received many awards for creating this unique software tool.
For a ‘non-computer’ person like me, I must admit that the interface is a bit overwhelming initially and takes a few minutes of getting used to the various functions and tools. But once you get the hang of it, it is rather easy to navigate through the various functions. There is a ‘help’ tool as well, which helps you steer through your initial hesitancies. As soon as you load the CD, a 3D model of the brain shows up in the center of the opening screen which can be rotated in a 360 degree format. The model is essentially a framework of all the brain structures including all the vessels (veins and arteries), white matter tracts and gray matter structures—basically the entire brain incorporated in a single 3D piece. Because the software was created from a single brain, the relationship of various anatomical structures to each other is maintained. The simplest way to explain the model is that the user can see whatever he/she wants to see. All brain structures (vessels, tracts, and gross brain structures) can be removed, introduced, or overlapped at the click of the mouse.
There are tools on the right side of the screen that allow for one to either keep or delete any of the named structures (vessels, tracts, gray matter structures). For example, one is able to keep (or delete, for that matter) a single or many or all the white matter tracts on the model. If you want to keep, for example, the ‘basal vein of Rosenthal’ on the model, you are able to. Another nice feature is that names of the various structures come up as you move the mouse over them. Another ‘cool’ function is the ability to dissect through the model in 3 different planes. So, for example, if you want to see the deep gray nuclei, you could dissect through the brain in the ‘coronal’ plane from the antero-posterior direction and see all the different underlying deep structures. Move the mouse over the different gray matter nuclei and their names pop up.
The resolution of the different structures is exquisite. My favorite is the 3D anatomy of the white matter tracts. I have always had a problem trying to understand and learn the complex white matter tracts. So as a trial I deleted all the structures of the brain and left only the white matter tracts on the model; the appearance was very similar to diffusion tensor imaging, with one big difference: in addition to being able to add or delete any of the tracts, I was able to identify the names of the various tracts simply by moving my mouse over them. The experience can be likened to a video game, a game which enables you to see and learn Neuroanatomy in 3D!
Another excellent feature is the ‘save image’ tool which can save the image of the 3D model (dissected or not) as seen on the screen and which can then be used in PowerPoint presentations for teaching. The CD itself could be loaded into a computer and then used while giving didactic lectures to medical students, residents, and fellows. Overall, this CD is a most impressive tool for learning Neuroanatomy and can be used by those who study and/or teach neuroanatomy, neurology, neurosurgery, neuroscience, psychiatry, and radiology, particularly neuroradiology. The next step would be to make this application web based and available online, which would increase the appeal and user accessibility to this exciting new software. I can see this CD being used for medical education in the future to teach Neuroanatomy in real time.
