Lab Safety Rules

• Absolutely no eating or drinking in the lab. If you need to eat or drink during the 75 min lab period, you must leave the room to do so. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule. Water bottles are not permitted in the lab.
• You must wear gloves and goggles while handling brain specimens.
• No sandals or other open footwear.
• Lab coats are recommended.
• Do not stick the dissection tools into the tray wax.
• You must clean up your materials after lab.

By participating in lab, you agree to comply with all the lab safety rules and any instructions of your instructor.

Materials

specimen 
dissection tray
scissors
scalpel 
forceps
probe

Removal of Dura Mater

This section adapted from Human Anatomy Laboratory Manual 2021  under a CC-BY license.

The sheep brain is enclosed in a tough outer covering called the dura mater. You can still see some structures on the brain before you remove the dura mater.

Take special note of the pituitary gland and the optic chiasma. These two structures will likely be pulled off when you remove the dura mater.

Remove the dura mater as instructed.

Neuroanatomical Directions of the Intact Brain + Cortical Brain Lobes, the Brainstem, and the Cerebellum

Hold and rotate your specimen. Look at the dorsal, ventral, and lateral views. Identify the right and left hemispheres, defined by the longitudinal fissure. Identify the cerebellum, separated from the cerebrum by the transverse fissure.

Identify the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. You are not expected to know the precise boundaries of most lobes; however, you should be able to identify their general vicinity and location relative to each other. See a useful figure here.

Identify the brainstem.

Neuroanatomical Directions: Intact Brain

Neuroanatomical Planes and Directions for Sections

Once we are “inside” the brain (i.e. sagittal or coronal slices or sections), we use the terms superior and inferior to describe the position of structures rather than dorsal and ventral. Dorsal/ventral are used to describe the surfaces of the brain only. 

Example:

Performing a Midsagittal Section

4. You have just divided the brain into two hemispheres and many internal structures are now visible.

 

The Corpus Callosum

Revisit Cortical Brain Lobes, the Brainstem, and the Cerebellum

Hold and rotate your 1/2 brain specimen. Look at the medial view. Identify the lobes. Can you see them all? You are not expected to know the precise boundaries of most lobes, however you should be able to identify their general vicinity and location relative to each other.

Identify the brainstem and the cerebellum.

Note the similarities and differences of the medial view of structures versus other views.

Test Yourself (or Each Other)

Identify the following structures on your specimen:

• corpus callosum
• cortex
• brainstem
• cerebellum
• general location of the frontal lobe
• general location of the parietal lobe
• general location of the temporal lobe
• general location of the occipital lobe

Name one function associated with each cortical lobe (Think back to material covered in class and Chapter 2).

How many frontal lobes are in each brain?

Is the corpus callosum best viewed from a more medial slice or a more lateral slice? Why?

Can you identify a brain structure covered in class and Chapter 2 but not specifically during this lab? Which one and where is it?

Lab Assignment Instructions

Knowing about the brain is important for personal health as well as to help make people good citizens!

Select one concept or fact from this lab session to teach as part of an Instagram post promoting the Brain Bee. Incorporate a figure, photo, or video to teach about your fact/concept. To get the most of out this assignment, select a fact/concept that you are having trouble remembering/learning. See an example of an assignment on our Instagram account.

The post should be accurate; relevant to the material covered during this lab; at an appropriate level for a high school student, teacher, or parent audience; and have potential to generate interest in our Brain Bee. If you want us to be able to use your post, be sure to submit an editable file, or link which allows copying or editing. We recommend using tools such as PowerPoint or Canva. Also, be sure that you are permitted to share any content you use (e.g., clipart, music) by checking the copyright and/or license.

Submit your assignment on Moodle. See due date on Moodle.

Grading rubric (partial points will be awarded as appropriate)