[Neuro anatomical and neurological elements associated with the brain over the course of time]

This article gives a sequential vision of neuro anatomical concepts which have been considered to be relevant in the past, associating them with contemporary neurofunctional and neurological viewpoints.

We start with the most ancient written records, concerning the brain at the time of the pharaohs, followed by the classical view of the Greek physicians and subsequent writers, through the phrenological period during which the relation between bony hypertrophy and cerebral function was emphasized as being suitable for the study of cerebral function at that time. Subsequent advances directed study of the nervous system towards recognition of the cells of the cerebral parenchyma, firstly through use of the optical microscope and later the electronic microscope, to make direct observations of the synapses with the vesicles of neurotransmitters. Thus reaching the present day and considering certain aspects of contemporary investigation in neuroscience, which bring structural and physiological aspects closer together. As a multi disciplinary science diverse elements have been combined so as to investigate and understand, using various tools and methods, the basic concepts described in relation to the structure and function of the nervous system, especially the brain.