NeuroNames

NeuroNames is an anatomical lexicon developed by the BrainInfo project. It is a neuroanatomical ontology that provides a controlled vocabulary for the neuroscience community to use in naming and labeling parts of the nervous system in all species of vertebrates.

Overview

NeuroNames is a system of nomenclature for neuroanatomy that is used to standardize the naming of structures in the brain and spinal cord. It was developed by the BrainInfo project at the University of Washington. The system is based on the Nomina Anatomica and the Nomina Embryologica, which are the international standards for human gross anatomy and embryology, respectively.

Structure

The NeuroNames ontology includes over 2,500 neuroanatomical concepts that are organized into a hierarchy that reflects the physical organization of the nervous system. The ontology includes terms for all of the major parts of the nervous system, as well as many of the smaller structures and functional areas. Each term in the ontology is associated with a unique identifier, which allows it to be linked to other databases and resources.

Usage

NeuroNames is used by researchers and clinicians in the neuroscience community to standardize the naming of brain structures. It is also used in the development of databases and software tools for neuroscience research. The ontology is freely available and can be downloaded from the BrainInfo website.

See also

• BrainInfo
• Neuroanatomy
• Nervous system
• Nomina Anatomica
• Nomina Embryologica

NeuroNames

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