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Elsevier

The Human Nervous System

  • 4th Edition - October 31, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: George Paxinos, Juergen K Mai, Mustafa Steve Kassem
  • Language: English

The 4th Edition of the classic book The Human Nervous System continues to assemble contributions from world leaders in research on the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervou… Read more

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Description

The 4th Edition of the classic book The Human Nervous System continues to assemble contributions from world leaders in research on the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. This book has been edited by the best known team of brain cartographers, and it has been completely revised to present the cutting edge of human neuroscience. The structure, connections and function are explained in depth, making this book essential to any student or scientist interested in brain anatomy and function.

Key features

  • Adopts standard nomenclature aligned with the Mai et al. Atlas of the Human Brain
  • Contains full color throughout
  • Identifies brain structures and connectivity between areas
  • Features new coverage of genes and anatomy, gene expression studies, and glia cells

Readership

Standard reference book for all labs doing neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, or molecular expression/cloning/neurogenetics in the mouse brain

Table of contents

I. Evolution and development

1. Brain Evolution

2. Development of the Peripheral Nervous System

3. Fetal Development of the Central Nervous System

II. Peripheral nervous system and spinal cord

4. Peripheral Nervous System Topics

5. Peripheral Autonomic Pathways

6. Spinal Cord: Regional Anatomy, Cytoarchitecture and Chemoarchitecture

7. Spinal Cord: Connections

III. Brainstem and cerebellum

8. Organization of Brainstem Nuclei

9. Reticular Formation

10. Periaqueductal Gray

11. Raphe Nuclei

12. Locus Coeruleus

13. Substantia Nigra, Ventral Tegmental Area, and Retrorubral Fields

14. Brainstem Cholinergic Systems

15. Cerebellum and Precerebellar Nuclei

IV. Diencephalon, basal ganglia, basal forebrain and amygdala

16. Hypothalamus

17. Hypophysis

18. Circumventricular Organs

19. Thalamus

20. The Basal Ganglia

21. Sex Differences in the Forebrain

22. Amygdala

V. Cortex

23. Architecture of the Cerebral Cortex

24. Hippocampal Formation

25. Cingulate Cortex

26. The Frontal Cortex

27. Motor Cortex

28. Posterior Parietal Cortex

VI. Systems

29. Lower Brainstem Regulation of Visceral, Cardiovascular, and Respiratory Function

30. Somatosensory System

31. Trigeminal Sensory System

32. Pain System

33. Gustatory System

34. The Olfactory System

35. The Vestibular System

36. Auditory System

37. Visual System

38. The Emotional Systems

39. Cerebral Vascular System
Index

Product details

  • Edition: 4
  • Latest edition
  • Published: October 31, 2026
  • Language: English

About the editors

GP

George Paxinos

George Paxinos has written 62 books on the brain of humans, monkeys, rodents and birds. His first atlas, The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates, is the most cited neuroscience publication. His Atlas of the Human Brain received The Award for Excellence in Publishing in Medical Science (Assoc American Publishers, 1997) and The British Medical Association Illustrated Book Award (2016). His eco-fiction book A River Divided (georgepaxinos.com.au) considers the question of whether the brain in the Goldilocks Zone - the right “size” for survival.

Affiliations and expertise
NHMRC Senior Principal, NeuRA, Australia

JK

Juergen K Mai

Professor Mai studied medicine in Freiburg, Germany, Vienna and UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, U.S.A. Student and Medical practices in Freiburg (Clinic for Neurosurgery), Berlin and Düsseldorf. Dissertation ("summa cum laude") and habilitation were awarded by the University of Düsseldorf: After a period as GP in private practice (Titisee-Neustadt) he became scientific assistant and senior assistant at the C. and O. Vogt-Institute for Brain Research, University of Düsseldorf (1972 - 1983) and Professor of Neuroanatomy at the Institute of Neuroanatomy, H.-Heine-University of Düsseldorf. He served as director of the Department of the Institute of Anatomy 1 until retirement in 2011. His main research interests are (i) the structural and molecular anatomy of the mammalian brain and (ii) expression patterns and regulation of terminal carbohydrates in development, cell activation and disease (III) operation planning in stereotactic neurosurgery. He works on a "Digital Brain Atlas for Planning and Interindividual Registration of Targets in Deep Brain Stimulation" and on a "Spatial Information Management Resource for the Human Brain". J. K. Mai has edited the catalogue of human brain sections from the Vogt collection; he is author and editor of several books, e.g. the awarded "Atlas of the Human Brain" (Academic Press/Elsevier, San Diego), "The Human Nervous System" (Academic Press/Elsevier, San Diego, Amsterdam, 3rd ed. 2012), Human Brain in Standard MNI Space: A Comprehensive Pocket Atlas (Academic Press/Elsevier, San Diego, 2017; with M. Majtanik), Funktionelle Anatomie für Zahnmediziner (Quintessenz, Berlin, 2nd. ed. 2008; Sensi Divini (ital., engl., ger, russ. eds). J. K. Mai is founder and CEO of MR-X-Brain GmbH.
Affiliations and expertise
Clinic for Neurosurgery, Düsseldorf, Germany

MK

Mustafa Steve Kassem

Dr. Mustafa (Steve) Kassem is a Senior Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia and The University of New South Wales. He has authored two brain atlases, Atlas of the Developing Mouse Brain and Chemoarchitectonic Atlas of the Rat Brain. He developed a modification of the Golgi Stain, the Ultra-Rapid-Golgi stain, permitting use on cleared and fixed tissue and has assembled one of the largest online collections of histological material, brainreservoir.neura.edu.au. With Paxinos, Dalton and Smith, he constructed a unified list of CNS terms for humans, monkeys, rodents and birds, cnsterms.neura.edu.au.

Affiliations and expertise
Senior Research Fellow, NeuRA, Sydney, Australia