NeuroAtlas · Instructor Guide
A free 3D neuroanatomy app for phones and laptops, built to sit alongside a nervous-system lecture. Created by Miles Konja.
Using it in class
No setup
Works in any phone or laptop browser. No accounts or downloads; the research survey is optional and anonymous, and only anonymous section visits are counted. Students can tap Share → Add to Home Screen to keep it like an app. For slides or a handout, use the printable QR code page.
Present mode
On the projector, tap Present at the top of the side panel for larger labels and text.
Links for your slides
Every link below opens the app on that exact view. On any screen, Copy link gives you a link to what you are looking at.
Report an issue
If anything is inaccurate, tap Report an issue. The screen is attached automatically, and every report is reviewed before the next update.
Lecture topics → views in the app
| Lecture topic | Open in the app | 5-minute activity |
|---|---|---|
| Neurons, glia and potentials | Neurons & gliaAction potentialsSynapses & neuronal pools | Play the motor pathway and pause on each synapse: where is the signal electrical, and where chemical? |
| Meninges and CSF | Meninges lessonCSF flowAqueduct blocked | Before cutting, ask students to predict which ventricles will enlarge for each block. |
| Spinal cord, nerves and plexuses | 3D cord & cross-sectionsCord & plexuses lesson | Scroll the cross-section from C1 to S1 and watch the gray matter change shape at the enlargements. |
| Lab: neuron model | 3D neuronNode of RanvierUnipolar neuronNeuron flashcards | Press “Fire impulse”, then “Compare: no myelin”, and ask why the myelinated axon is faster. |
| Lab: spinal nerves and plexuses | Nerves of the bodyBrachial plexusSciatic nerveA&P lab quiz | Switch the color to “Roots→Branches” and have students trace C5 to the musculocutaneous nerve. |
| Lab: brain, cord and cranial nerve models | Brain lab listPineal glandSpinal cord modelCranial nerve drill | Run the lab practical on the brain list, then the cranial nerve table drill, as a warm-up before the practical. |
| Lab: special senses | Eye (inside)Eye musclesEarEye flashcards | Trace light through cornea → aqueous → lens → vitreous → retina, then sound through the ear to CN VIII. |
| Spinal reflexes | Reflexes lessonCorticospinal cut in the cord | Why does an upper motor neuron lesion make reflexes brisker? Use the cut to explain the Babinski sign. |
| Brain regions and ventricles | Brain regions lessonLateral ventriclesCorpus callosum | Turn on Deep, then Spread, and have students name each structure before tapping it. |
| Cerebral cortex, EEG and memory | Precentral gyrusBroca’s areaHippocampusCortex lesson | Run two localization cases (aphasia and neglect) as a think-pair-share. |
| Basal nuclei and limbic system | PutamenCaudateAmygdalaParkinson’s DaTscan | Compare the normal and Parkinson’s DaTscan: why does the “comma” become a “period”? |
| Diencephalon | ThalamusHypothalamusDiencephalon lesson | Which sense skips the thalamus? Trace the visual path through the LGN to contrast. |
| Brainstem and cerebellum | PonsMedullaCerebellumBrainstem lesson | Medial vs lateral medullary syndrome: localize both in the game, then compare which tracts each hits. |
| Cranial nerves | CN IIICN VIICN XAll 12 + mnemonicsCourse quiz | Turn on Cranial nerves, view from below, and quiz the class on numbers I–XII from the Roman-numeral labels. |
| Sensory and motor pathways | Posterior columnSpinothalamicCorticospinalBrown-Séquard | Cut each pathway at the same cord level and have students explain why the deficits land on different sides. |
| Autonomic nervous system | Sympathetic to the eyeHorner syndromeParasympathetic (CN III)ANS lesson | Small pupil vs large pupil: which chain was cut? Use both pathways side by side. |
| Blood supply and stroke | Circle of WillisMCA territoryPICA (Wallenberg)Stroke MRI | Switch to Territories and tap the cortex: which artery, and what deficit would a stroke there cause? |
| Aging and disease | Amyloid PETMS lesionsAging lesson | Normal vs Alzheimer’s: toggle “Show healthy” and list three visible differences. |
Self-study and assessment
A&P course track
16 short lessons in lecture order, each ending with exam-style questions. Open Study
Lesion localization game
14 patient stories; students tap where the lesion must be, and side counts. Play
Lab practical
In the Lab tab, students name the highlighted neuron part or nerve, like a model practical. Open
Flashcards
Six decks of key terms from lecture and lab, plus word roots. Open
Quizzes
A&P course, spine & pathways, cortex, deep structures, diseases and MCAT topics, 10 questions per round. Start
Accuracy and sources
The brain is a real adult MRI (FreeSurfer-processed; Destrieux atlas) registered to the ICBM 2009 MNI template, with nuclei from Julich-Brain 3.1 and CIT168, and the spinal cord from the PAM50 atlas. Pathway routes, cranial nerve and artery paths, territory borders, lesions and PET/SPECT images are teaching simulations: they show typical patterns, not any individual. All lesson text is original and organized to match a standard A&P nervous-system unit. Please use Report an issue for anything that should be corrected.
Research use
The app includes an optional, anonymous study mode (Study → Research) for an IRB-reviewed education study comparing 3D and 2D learning. It is inactive unless a participant enters a code from the study leader. Questions about the study: Mileskonja06@gmail.com.