12 important brain structures

[mervyn]

Hello everyone,

I'm an amateur in neuroscience, it's been a hobby since 1995.
I have a new website about the brain, which might be of interest to you:

http://www.brain-info.com

It describes 12 of the most important brain structures.

All comment welcome!

Greetings

Mervyn

[Steffen]

I had a brief glance at the website and think that it is nice to get a fast, superficial overview over some brain structures (if they are among the 12 most important ones is subjective). From what I can say so far, without really having had a deeper look, you should improve and change some things:

• It is not possible to show each brain structure with a simple arrow pointing to it in your saggital brain view. The arrow for temporal cortex for example points to the thalamus or motor cortex looks like a small spot in the interhemispheric fissure. You should put the effort in to have some more pictures showing the areas as a whole and in their actual location, if you like to convey real information.
• Although the cerebellar cortex is called a "cortex", I would not simply color it the same way as neocortex, because they have different functions and originate from different parts of the developing brain (neocortex: prosencephalon; cerebellum: rhombencephalon).
• Perhaps more detailed information can be helpful to better understand the brain areas. Think about your target audience. Don't they really know anything about the brain and therefore need only the superficial information one can find on your website? If so, do they know, what "parietal" means (see first point above) or what GABA is? Also, having a list of parts and projections (see basal ganglia) does not give you any information without the knowledge from where to where something is projected. "Strange area name" projects to "yet another strange area name" would not help me, if I was searching some information.
• Have you checked the copyright of your pictures? You can run into serious trouble if you didn't.
• CITE YOUR STATEMENTS!!!

I understand that neuroscience is just a hobby of yours. Still, you should be scientifically correct and structure and choose your information corresponding to the assumed previous knowledge of your target audience. You probably can do better than that, if you really are into this field for 15 years now.
Don't take it personally that I ripped your website a little apart. This is meant as consructive critics. I'm sure your website can become a nice source for "brain info".

[mervyn]

• It is not possible to show each brain structure with a simple arrow pointing to it in your saggital brain view. The arrow for temporal cortex for example points to the thalamus or motor cortex looks like a small spot in the interhemispheric fissure. You should put the effort in to have some more pictures showing the areas as a whole and in their actual location, if you like to convey real information.

Thanks for the comment. I think this is a pretty good picture, but maybe i should draw lines for the area's i am trying to indicate.

• Although the cerebellar cortex is called a "cortex", I would not simply color it the same way as neocortex, because they have different functions and originate from different parts of the developing brain (neocortex: prosencephalon; cerebellum: rhombencephalon).

I found this image in a book by Jeffrey Gray. You're right about the cerebellum, I'll correct this.

• Perhaps more detailed information can be helpful to better understand the brain areas. Think about your target audience. Don't they really know anything about the brain and therefore need only the superficial information one can find on your website? If so, do they know, what "parietal" means (see first point above) or what GABA is? Also, having a list of parts and projections (see basal ganglia) does not give you any information without the knowledge from where to where something is projected. "Strange area name" projects to "yet another strange area name" would not help me, if I was searching some information.

You're right, it's meant as an introduction, but how would you solve it for the naming of areas? That's a hard question. I will put some thinking and work into it though, thanks :-)

• Have you checked the copyright of your pictures? You can run into serious trouble if you didn't.

No, there's just 3 pictures, taken from the web and the main one, from a book. I don't think it's such a problem.

• CITE YOUR STATEMENTS!!!

I understand that neuroscience is just a hobby of yours. Still, you should be scientifically correct and structure and choose your information corresponding to the assumed previous knowledge of your target audience. You probably can do better than that, if you really are into this field for 15 years now.
Don't take it personally that I ripped your website a little apart. This is meant as consructive critics. I'm sure your website can become a nice source for "brain info".
[/quote]

I will continue to improve it, and this really helps. The audience thing. Good call!

Thanks,

Mervyn

[Steffen]

• Perhaps more detailed information can be helpful to better understand the brain areas. Think about your target audience. Don't they really know anything about the brain and therefore need only the superficial information one can find on your website? If so, do they know, what "parietal" means (see first point above) or what GABA is? Also, having a list of parts and projections (see basal ganglia) does not give you any information without the knowledge from where to where something is projected. "Strange area name" projects to "yet another strange area name" would not help me, if I was searching some information.

You're right, it's meant as an introduction, but how would you solve it for the naming of areas? That's a hard question. I will put some thinking and work into it though, thanks :-)

This can be easily solved with images. Just take a pic of a brain and outline and color the respective areas. This is probably the best way to show what "the parietal cortex" is. Again, single arrows pointing in approximately that area don't work. So, this is actually a very easy question 

[mervyn]

This can be easily solved with images. Just take a pic of a brain and outline and color the respective areas. This is probably the best way to show what "the parietal cortex" is. Again, single arrows pointing in approximately that area don't work. So, this is actually a very easy question 
[/quote]

I solved it for now with some thin black lines (i really like this picture, because it shows the subcortical structures so well). I also expanded the 'in short' texts and included sources. You're right that after 15 years i should be able to do better, but i came to the conclusion that i hardly know anything about most parts. I spend too much time on the pfc and hippocampus i guess. But still i think it is a handy little site, for some people. Maybe not if you don't know any of the jargon. But then again, when you start reading you always go in head first into all the jargon, i didn't read 'brains for dummies' when i began. :-)

Thanks

Mervyn