anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure - a particular complex anatomical structure; "he has good bone structure"

corpus mamillare, mamillary body, mammillary body - one of two small round structures on the undersurface of the brain that form the terminals of the anterior arches of the fornix

ganglion - an encapsulated neural structure consisting of a collection of cell bodies or neurons

reflex arc - the neural path of a reflex

nerve center, nerve centre, centre, center - a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process; "in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"

cerebral hemisphere, hemisphere - either half of the cerebrum

piriform area, piriform lobe, pyriform area, pyriform lobe - pear-shaped neural structure on either side of the brain in the rhinencephalon

olfactory bulb - one of two enlargements at the terminus of the olfactory nerve at the base of the brain just above the nasal cavities

brain, encephalon - that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

neencephalon, neoencephalon - the part of the brain having the most recent phylogenetic origin; the cerebral cortex and related parts

palaeencephalon, paleencephalon, paleoencephalon - the more primitive parts of the brain phylogenetically; most structures other than the cerebral cortex

cerebellum - a major division of the vertebrate brain; situated above the medulla oblongata and beneath the cerebrum in humans

cerebellar hemisphere - either of two lateral lobes of the cerebellum

vermis, vermis cerebelli - the narrow central part of the cerebellum between the two hemispheres

paleocerebellum - the anterior lobe of the cerebellum which was one of the earliest parts of the hindbrain to develop in mammals

cerebral cortex, cerebral mantle, cortex, pallium - the layer of unmyelinated neurons (the gray matter) forming the cortex of the cerebrum

geniculate body - one of four small oval masses that protrude slightly from the underside of the thalamus and function as synaptic centers on the way to the cerebral cortex

cerebrum - anterior portion of the brain consisting of two hemispheres; dominant part of the brain in humans

medulla oblongata, medulla, bulb - lower or hindmost part of the brain; continuous with spinal cord; (`bulb' is an old term for medulla oblongata); "the medulla oblongata is the most vital part of the brain because it contains centers controlling breathing and heart functioning"

forebrain, prosencephalon - the anterior portion of the brain; the part of the brain that develops from the anterior part of the neural tube

hippocampus - a complex neural structure (shaped like a sea horse) consisting of gray matter and located on the floor of each lateral ventricle; intimately involved in motivation and emotion as part of the limbic system; has a central role in the formation of memories

cingulate gyrus, gyrus cinguli - a long curved structure on the medial surface of the cerebral hemispheres; the cortical part of the limbic system

telencephalon - the anterior division of the forebrain; the cerebrum and related parts of the hypothalamus

betweenbrain, diencephalon, interbrain, thalmencephalon - the posterior division of the forebrain; connects the cerebral hemispheres with the mesencephalon

limbic brain, limbic system, visceral brain - a system of functionally related neural structures in the brain that are involved in emotional behavior

subthalamus - the ventral part of the thalamus

thalamus - large egg-shaped structures of gray matter that form the dorsal subdivision of the diencephalon

hypothalamus - a basal part of the diencephalon governing autonomic nervous system

mesencephalon, midbrain - the middle portion of the brain

locus niger, nucleus niger, substantia nigra - a layer of deeply pigmented gray matter in the midbrain; associated with the striate body; is involved in metabolic disturbances associated with Parkinson's disease and with Huntington's disease