ANATOMICAL LANDMARKS

HEAD Regions
Frontal the forehead bone
Parietal above the occipital lobe and behind the frontal lobe; integrates
sensory information among various modalities, including spatial sense and
navigation, the main sensory receptive area for the sense of touch; takes in
major sensory inputs from the skin, relay through the thalamus
Occipital lobe the visual processing center of the mammal brain; bilateral
lesions can cause occipital blindness
Temporal lobe located beneath the lateral fissure on both cerebral
hemispheres of the mammalian brain; involved in processing sensory input
into derived meanings for the retention of visual memories, language
comprehension, and emotion association
Mandibular the inferior maxillary bone; the largest, strongest, and lowest
bone in the face. Forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place.
Maxillary pertains to the upper jaw
Zygomatic a paired bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal
bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone; situated at the upper and
lateral part of the face and forms the prominence of the cheek, part of the
lateral wall and the front of the orbit
Nasal are two small oblong bones; placed side by side at the middle and
upper part of the face and form the bridge of the nose
Mental protuberance the symphysis of the external surface of the mandible
divides below and encloses a triangular eminence

The meninges.

The meninges consist of three membranes of connective tissue that

protect the central nervous system (CNS: the brain and the spinal cord)
against shocks. A first thin membrane is apposed on the brain, it is the pia
mater. The second membrane, also quite thin, is called the arachnoid. Finally,
the outmost membrane is thicker and more resistant, it is the dura mater. In
addition, when we look closer, we realized that the dura mater is in fact
composed of two layers: a deep layer that penetrates between the two
cerebral hemispheres, and a more superficial layer. Between these two
sheets, on top of the brain, there is a venous sinus that drain blood toward
the heart, it is the sagittal sinus.

The meninges: protecting the brain.

The space between the dura mater and the arachnoid, the subdural space
is filled with a thin layer of serous fluid. Then, the space between the
arachnoid and the pia mater is called the subarachnoid space. This more
important space is maintained by multiple filamentous extensions. It is in the
subarachnoid space cerebrospinal fluid circulates. Altogether, this succession
of membranes and liquid absorbs the vibrations and protects the CNS
against shock. Then, as we will see in the next section, the cerebrospinal
fluid is evacuated by the arachnoid villi into the sagittal sinus.
Cerebrum the principal and most anterior part of the brain in vertebrates,
located in the front area of the skull and consisting of two hemispheres, left
and right, separated by a fissure. Responsible for the integration of complex,

sensory and neural functions and the initiation and coordination of voluntary
activity in the body
Subdural space a potential space that can be opened by the separation of
the arachnoid matter from the dura mater as a result of trauma, pathologic
process, or the absence of cerebrospinal fluid as seen in a cadaver
Subarachnoid space the interval between the arachnoid membrane and the
pia mater; occupied by delicate connective tissue trabeculae and
intercommunicating channels containing CSF
CHEST REGIONS
Axilla area on the human body directly under the joint where the arm
connects to the shoulder
Pectorals a thick, fan shaped muscle situated at the chest of the human
body
Thoracic cavity the chamber of the human body (and other animal bodies)
that is protected bya thoracic wall (rib cage and associated skin, muscle,
and fascia)
Lungs (lobes)

Heart (chambers)

Ribs the long curved bones which form the rib cage
Intercostals several groups of muscles that run between the ribs, and help
form and move the chest wall; mainly involve the mechanical aspect of
breathing
Diaphragm a dome-shaped, muscular partition separating the thorax from
the abdomen in mammals
ABDOMEN
Umbilicus the navel/belly button
Liver (lobes)

Kidneys each of a pair of organs in the abdominal cavity excreting urine

Aorta main artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of
the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two
smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries)
EXTREMITIES

Humerus long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to
the elbow; connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the
radius and the ulna, and connects three sections

Radius one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna.
Extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and
runs parallel to the ulna, which it exceeds in length and size
Ulna the thinner and longer of the two bones in the human forearm, on the
side opposite to the thumb; extends elbow to the wrist and runs parallel to
the radius
Cubital fossa triangular area on the anterior view of the human elbow of a
human

Olecranon the bony prominence of the ulna; upper portion of the elbow
POSITIONAL TERMS
BODY PLANES
Coronal plane any vertical plane that divides the body into ventral (belly)
and dorsal (back) sections
Sagittal plane a vertical plane which passes from anterior to posterior;
dividing the body into right and left halves
Transverse plane an imaginary plane that divides the body into superior
and inferior parts; perpendicular to the coronal and sagittal planes
REFERENCE LINES
Anterior Median Line a sagittal line on the anterior of the head and torso
running at midline

Posterior Median Line a sagittal line on the posterior torso at the midline
Mid-clavicular Line a line running vertically down the surface of the body
passing through the midpoint of the clavicle
Mid-scapular Line posterior axillary line
Anterior Axillary Line
Posterior Axillary Line
Mid Axillary line

DIRECTIONAL TERMS
Anterior/Posterior
Anterior in front
Posterior at the back
Ventral/Dorsal
Ventral front of the body
Dorsal referring to the back
Rostral/Caudal
Rostral like the beak of a bird(???)
Caudal referring to the group of nerves which go from the spinal cord to the
lumbar region and the coccyx
Medial/Lateral
Medial nearer to the central midline of the body or to the centre of an
organ
Lateral further away from the middle of the body; referring to one side of
the body
Proximal/Distal
Proximal near the midline; the central part of the body
Distal further away from the center of the body
Superior/Inferior

Superior higher up than another part

Inferior lower than another part
Cephalad/Caudad
Cephalad referring to the head
Caudad referring to the caudal equina
Other positional terms
Costal margin margin within the ribs
Costal angle angle referring to the ribs