The first edition of the presented book, published in 2009, was winner of the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for excellence in publishing! Now a second edition is at hand—with some new sections (e.g., peripheral nerve injury and recovery, electro-diagnostic diagnosis of radiculopathy, deep brain stimulation targets) and new chapters addressing our understanding of memory and neural networks. Magnetic resonance imaging images have been added for illustrations in some sections as well. However, the traditional approach of neurologic diagnosis based on neuroanatomical correlation is consequently retained. The authors of the first edition, renowned neurosurgeons with a great flair for education, have included two new Cleveland Clinic contributors: radiologist Stephen Jones and neuroscientist Zhong Irene Wang.

The overall aim of the book is to present basic anatomic concepts that underlie neurologic disorders, and to illustrate their clinical application. Hardly any page of the volume is without an illustration. These are of high anatomic and printing standards (as usual in a Thieme textbook).

The book is organized into four sections (I: Development and Developmental Disorders; II: Regional Anatomy and Related Syndromes; III: System-Based Anatomy and Differential Diagnosis; IV: Fluid-System Anatomy and Function). The content is arranged in 26 chapters. Learning objectives are summarized at the beginning of each chapter. The texts are very well structured, and the messages are enforced in colored “framed boxes,” and amply illustrated by numerous graphics. Examples (from Section II): single nerve root lesions, at each level, are visually presented with figures pointing to motor, reflex, and sensory findings. There is an analog presentation of spinal cord levels (from C3 downward), and a similar easy to recognize presentation of vascular brainstem syndromes informing of the various anatomic involvements and the corresponding clinical scenario. The chapter “Cerebellum” provides distinct information about the gross anatomy, the internal architecture, the afferent and efferent connections, the cerebellar peduncles, and general functional aspects. The part on clinical manifestations focuses on general symptoms (as signs of midline disease, signs of lateral [hemispheric] disease, and oculomotor disorders), but special disorders of the cerebellum are not discussed. The chapters on Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Limbic System, and Basal Ganglia are presented in a similar way (i.e., “Clinical Manifestations of Basal Ganglia Disease”) and comment on general aspects of parkinsonism, chorea, dystonia, tremor, but do not expand into details of investigations, differential diagnosis, etc. This is appropriate as a systematic detailed description of neurological disorders is outside the scope of this book.

Pediatric neurologists may be interested in Chapter 1: Neuroembryology. It describes early development of brain and spinal cord. This is followed by listing major “Congenital malformations,” as anomalies of the corpus callosum, cephaloceles, the most important anomalies of neuronal migration and organization (lissencephaly, heterotopia, and polymicrogyria), holoprosencephaly, Chiari malformations, and spinal dysraphism—with informative graphics, selected magnetic resonance images, and “Info-boxes” listing clinical features and associated brain anomalies.

As examples from Section III (System-Based Anatomy and Differential Diagnosis), I am choosing chapters 15: Visual System and 18: Oculomotor System where visual pathways, visual reflexes, and approach to the patient with a visual field defect are vividly presented, and (among others) the basis of eye movements, internuclear ophthalmoplegia, one and a half syndrome, gaze palsies, etc. are illustrated.

Section IV (Fluid-System Anatomy and Function) includes a chapter on Vascular System (blood supply of the brain and spinal cord and its “deficiencies” resulting from occlusions) and a chapter on Cerebrospinal Fluid (anatomy of meninges, ventricular system, basal cisterns, venous sinuses, cerebrospinal fluid circulation).

Knowledge of neuroanatomy is key to understanding the basis of neurological disorders as well as interpretation of neuroimaging. This volume provides an excellent basis for residents/trainees in clinical neurosciences and is also a helpful refresher for seasoned clinicians.

Article published online:
22 May 2024

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