Neuroanatomical study of the internal structures of the brain based on brain fiber dissection

: From the beginning of the 17th Century, anatomists started to elucidate numerous tracts and fasciculi of the brain using fiber dissection techniques. Due to the complexities associated with tissue preparation and the time-consuming nature of traditional techniques the popularity of this method has gradually declined with the advent of modern neuroimaging techniques such as MRI. Many novel approaches to deep brain lesions have recently been devised following the development of skull base surgery. In comparison, the study of functional neuroanatomy has been relatively neglected. Understanding how neuronal fibers in the brain interconnect and communicate neuronal functions is critical when performing surgery for malignant glioma and epilepsy, as brain parenchyma has to be resected and neuronal fibers are interrupted. In the preoperative planning process we have applied anatomical studies using brain fiber dissection techniques. Brain fiber dissection offers the advantage of exposing association, commissural and projection fibers of cerebral white matter in three dimensions. Brain fiber dissection appears useful for assisting neurosurgeons to acquire neurosurgical skills and become familiar with neuroanatomical features. The techniques and significance of brain fiber dissection are described herein.