Neuroanatomical Photogammetry of the White Matter Tracts

Introduction to Photogrammetry in Neuroanatomy

Photogrammetry is an innovative imaging technique that reconstructs high-resolution 3D models from layered 2D images. In neuroanatomy, this provides an innovative digital approach to studying brain anatomy, complementing Zurich’s long tradition of hands-on microdissection training. By creating detailed 3D models from 2D image sequences, this technique preserves the spatial relationships of neural structures while enabling new forms of interactive learning.

The Zurich Connection

Our photogrammetry work builds upon the same anatomical principles perfected by Klingler’s white matter dissections, dating back to the 1930s, which are now taught in Zurich’s white matter dissection courses, and were a cornerstone to Yasargil’s microneurosurgical innovations. This allows us to:

  • Document dissection layers with high accuracy

  • Create digital references for surgical planning

  • Preserve rare anatomical specimens in interactive formats

The reconstrucions may take a minute to load after opening.

Lateral Aspect of the Human Brain

  • Cortical Anatomy – Surface gyri and sulci, showcasing functional regions and macroscopic brain topography.
  • Decortication – Removal of cortical gray matter to expose underlying association fibers and U-fibers.
  • Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus – A major white matter tract linking frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes, critical for language and attention.
  • Insula – The “fifth lobe” hidden within the lateral sulcus, involved in autonomic and emotional processing.
  • Extreme Capsule – A thin white matter layer lateral to the claustrum, part of the ventral language pathway.
  • External Capsule – Separates the claustrum from the putamen, containing corticostriatal and corticofugal fibers.
  • Putamen – A key basal ganglia structure regulating movement and procedural learning.
  • Globus Pallidus – A subcortical motor control nucleus, part of the indirect pathway in movement modulation.
  • Anterior Commissure – A compact fiber bundle connecting temporal lobes, involved in olfaction and interhemispheric communication.
  • Internal Capsule – Critical white matter pathway for motor and sensory fibers between the cortex and brainstem.

Further anatomical structures are labelled using blue dots.

Medial Aspect of the Human Brain

  • Cingulate Bundle & Parahippocampus – Limbic system structures essential for memory, emotion, and spatial navigation.
  • Retrocommissural Hippocampal Formation: Subiculum – A transitional region between hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, crucial for memory consolidation.
  • Retrocommissural Hippocampal Formation: Gyrus Dentatus – Part of the hippocampal circuitry, vital for pattern separation in memory formation.
  • Lateral Wall of Lateral Ventricle – Reveals adjacent structures like the posterior thalamic peduncle and caudate nucleus.
  • Thalamic Peduncles – Fiber tracts connecting the thalamus to cortical regions, relaying sensory, motor, and limbic signals.

Further anatomical structures are labelled using blue dots.