For those who desire to understand how brains are constructed, we present below an array of brain sections through the forebrain of the Three-striped Night Monkey (Aotus trivirgatus)(UW animal #69-255).

Thirteen pairs of sections (stained for cell bodies and myelenated fibers) are shown from the front to the back of the owl monkey's brain. With the help of a brain atlas (which we hope to make available electronically, viewers will be able to learn about the nuclear structures and fiber tracts that can be seen in such a series. By viewing similar series of sections in different mammals, it will be possible to see how the brains of different mammals are differentially developed in ways that reflect their different perceptual and behavioral specializations.

We believe that study the nervous system by means of electronic documents on the INTERNET can be an effective and readily accessible means for learning something about brain functions and structure.

Greater cellular detail can be seen by "clicking" on any of the small pictures.