Sagittal vs coronal vs axial
- Sagittal: A sagittal plane is vertical and runs from front to back, separating left from right. There are any number of them, all parallel to the one down the middle. [2][1] In the brain the sagittal plane passes from between the nostrils and between the cerebral hemispheres, dividing the brain into left and right halves. [3]
- Coronal: A coronal plane is vertical and runs from side to side, dividing the body or an organ into an anterior (front) and a posterior (back) part. [1][2] In the brain a coronal plane passes through the coronal suture of the skull (or through both ears), or runs parallel to it. There is no term “paracoronal” to match “parasagittal”. [3]
- Axial: An axial plane is horizontal, parallel to the ground with the body standing, and divides the body or an organ into upper and lower parts. [2][1] In the brain the axial plane is the one horizontal and parallel to the ground with the body standing in the standard anatomical position. [3]
The other names
- midsagittal plane, median plane (sagittal): The sagittal plane that runs directly down the middle, dividing into right and left halves, is called the midsagittal or median plane. [1][2]
- parasagittal plane (sagittal): Any other sagittal plane, which divides into unequal right and left sides, is a parasagittal plane (less commonly, a longitudinal section). [1][2]
- frontal plane (coronal): The frontal plane is often referred to as the coronal plane; “corona” is Latin for “crown”. [1][2]
- transverse plane, horizontal plane (axial): The transverse plane is also known as the axial or horizontal plane. [2][3]
- cross section (axial): Cuts in transverse planes produce images referred to as cross sections. [1]
What a cut through the centre of this model crosses
Measured from the model [4]: a part counts when its shape lies on both sides of the cut. The model is 141 mm from side to side, 172 mm from top to bottom (down to the upper spinal cord) and 180 mm from front to back, and the slider moves the cut across that whole box. A cut down the exact middle crosses only the parts that lie across the midline; the paired parts, such as the two hippocampi, each sit on one side of it.
- Sagittal, through the centre (24 parts): Hypothalamus, Pituitary gland, Pineal gland, Cerebellum, Brainstem, Midbrain, Pons, Medulla oblongata, Corpus callosum, Third ventricle, Fourth ventricle, Fornix, Habenula, Cerebral aqueduct, Optic chiasm, Spinal cord (central canal), Anterior commissure, Posterior commissure, Commissure of the fornix, Septum (septum of telencephalon), Choroid plexus (lateral ventricles), Stria medullaris of thalamus, Lamina terminalis, Interventricular foramina.
- Coronal, through the centre (38 parts): Hippocampus, Thalamus, Brainstem, Midbrain, Pons, Medulla oblongata, Frontal lobe, Prefrontal cortex, Precentral gyrus, Parietal lobe, Postcentral gyrus, Temporal lobe, Superior frontal gyrus, Middle frontal gyrus, Superior temporal gyrus, Middle temporal gyrus, Inferior temporal gyrus, Insula, Cingulate gyrus, Parahippocampal gyrus, Fusiform gyrus, Corpus callosum, Caudate nucleus, Putamen, Internal capsule, Lateral ventricles, Third ventricle, Fornix, Lateral geniculate body, Optic tract, Trochlear nerve, Commissure of the fornix, Septum (septum of telencephalon), Choroid plexus (lateral ventricles), Cerebral peduncles, Stria terminalis, Stria medullaris of thalamus, Tentorium cerebelli.
- Axial, through the centre (30 parts): Hippocampus, Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Pineal gland, Frontal lobe, Prefrontal cortex, Parietal lobe, Temporal lobe, Inferior frontal gyrus, Orbitofrontal cortex, Angular gyrus, Superior temporal gyrus, Middle temporal gyrus, Occipital lobe, Insula, Cingulate gyrus, Corpus callosum, Caudate nucleus, Putamen, Globus pallidus, Internal capsule, Lateral ventricles, Third ventricle, Fornix, Habenula, Commissure of the fornix, Choroid plexus (lateral ventricles), Stria terminalis, Stria medullaris of thalamus, Lamina terminalis.
The planes in the brain
- The three planes most commonly used in anatomical and medical imaging are the sagittal, frontal (or coronal) and transverse planes. [1]
- In humans the long axis of the central nervous system is not straight: the rostral–caudal axis makes a near 90° bend at the level of the midbrain and continues down through the brainstem and spinal cord. The planes keep the body’s names all the same. [3]
- That is why, in the human brain, the occipital lobes are posterior to the frontal lobes but not caudal to them. [3]
- The planes are defined for a body in the standard anatomical position, standing upright. [2]