The three-dimensional (3D) structure of the brain needs to be understood for accurate diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases. The brain of a cadaver may not always be available for dissection when it is needed. To overcome this problem, we attempted to create a 3D image and virtual dissection program of the brain using a Korean cadaver. The brain extracted from a Korean male cadaver was embedded in gelatin solution. 130 MRI of the brain were taken and 130 serially-sectioned specimens were made. All of MRI and specimens were inputted into the computer, and 10 brain components were manually segmented. A 3D image and virtual dissection program of the brain was made. Various virtual dissection functions were established, such as 1) sectioning the 3D image of the brain at free angles to represent its plane as a real image, segmented image, and MRI, 2) identifying the brain components represented in the sectioned plane, and 3) rotating the 3D image of the whole brain or the selected brain components at free angles. The resulting virtual dissection program of the brain is helpful in better understanding the 3D location and shape of the brain components and it is expected to be used as a CD-title or through Internet as an educational tool for medical students and doctors.
Brain/anatomy & histology* ; Comparative Study ; Diagnostic Imaging* ; Dissection* ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Software* ; User-Computer Interface*

We conducted an investigation of the relation between RNFL thickness and optic disc size along with an interocular comparison of optic disc size, RNFL thickness, and RNFL density in healthy subjects. A total of 64 normal eyes from 32 Korean volunteers were enrolled in this study. A GDx Nerve Fiber Analyzer with software version 2.0.09 was used to image all subjects. Optic disc size was measured by pi x (horizontal radius) x (vertical radius). The RNFL density of each quadrant was calculated by dividing each quadrant integral by the total integral. Optic disc size was positively correlated with the total RNFL thickness (r = 0.615, p < 0.01). Optic disc size and RNFL density were inversely related in the superior quadrant (r = -0.248, p < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between optic disc size and RNFL density in the nasal quadrant (r = 0.439, p < 0.01) and the temporal quadrant to a certain degree. A significant positive correlation was found between the right and left eyes in terms of total RNFL thickness in and that of each quadrant. Interocular RNFL density was positively correlated in both the temporal and nasal quadrants. These findings must be considered when one evaluates and compares RNFL measurements between two eyes as is often the case where both eyes are usually affected in the course of glaucomatous RNFL damage.
Adult ; Comparative Study ; Female ; Human ; Lasers/diagnostic use ; Male ; *Nerve Fibers ; Optic Disk/*anatomy & histology ; Optic Nerve/*anatomy & histology ; Perimetry ; Weights and Measures

Cephalopods have the most advanced nervous systems and intelligent behavior among all invertebrates. Their brains provide comparative insights for understanding the molecular and functional origins of the human brain. Although brain maps that contain information on the organization of each subregion are necessary for a study on the brain, no whole brain atlas for adult cephalopods has been constructed to date. Here, we obtained sagittal and coronal sections covering the entire brain of adult Octopus minor (Sasaki), which belongs to the genus with the most species in the class Cephalopoda and is commercially available in East Asia throughout the year. Sections were stained using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) to visualize the cellular nuclei and subregions. H&E images of the serial sections were obtained at 30~70-µm intervals for the sagittal plain and at 40~80-µm intervals for the coronal plain. Setting the midline point of the posterior end as the fiducial point, we also established the distance coordinates of each image. We found that the brain had the typical brain structure of the Octopodiformes. A number of subregions were discriminated by a Hematoxylin-positive layer, the thickness and neuronal distribution pattern of which varied markedly depending upon the region. We identified more than 70 sub-regions based on delineations of representative H&E images. This is the first brain atlas, not only for an Octopodiformes species but also among adult cephalopods, and we anticipate that this atlas will provide a valuable resource for comparative neuroscience research.
Adult ; Arm* ; Brain* ; Cephalopoda ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Far East ; Hematoxylin ; Histology, Comparative ; Humans ; Invertebrates ; Nervous System ; Neurons ; Neurosciences ; Octopodiformes*