Nowinski WL, Chua CC. The Human Brain in 1969 Pieces:  Structure, Vasculature, Tracts, Cranial Nerves, Systems, Head Muscles, and Glands. [CD]. Thieme; 2013; $349.99.

The interactive CD entitled The Human Brain in 1969 Pieces:  Structure, Vasculature, Tracts, Cranial Nerves, Systems, Head Muscles, and Glands, designed and formatted by Dr. Nowinski and Mr. Chua, covers the major structures of the brain, face, and upper neck in a colorful 3-D format. A serial number allows the user to view and save the material on two different computers.

Structures include the cranial nerves, major white matter tracts, lobes and segments of the brain, ventricles, vasculature (arterial and venous), deep nuclei, musculature surrounding the head, and salivary glands. By pointing at various structures, the user can prompt hidden labelling to pop up, and the material can be scanned and rotated.

This is a good learning tool for basic neuroanatomy. Future versions of this material need to be more intuitive, with given structures easier to select. To that end, a typed-in structural name should result in that being immediately visualized and rotated.