Best Neuroanatomy Resources for Medical Students

How we picked

We chose resources based on accuracy, clear 3D or labeled images, built-in quizzes where available, and price. Every fact here comes from the resource's own pages, read on 2026-10-26.

anotemy itself is listed last because it does not teach neuroanatomy content; it is a place to keep your own notes connected to 3D models. We included it because it fills a gap in most study stacks.

We also considered how well each resource supports note-taking; anotemy's linking feature is unique among these tools.

• Accuracy: university sources or clinician-reviewed content only.
• Visuals: 3D models or clear atlas plates and cross-sections.
• Practice: quizzes, questions, or interactive exercises.
• Price: free options and paid tiers with disclosed limits.
• Note-taking fit: how well it supports building your own neuro notes.

The resources

These are the most useful neuroanatomy resources for medical students in 2026, in order of usefulness for exam prep. anotemy is last because it is a note-taking tool, not a content library.

Most free resources are enough for first-year course work; paid tiers add structure and quizzing. If you buy one book, Netter's Atlas is the standard.

Use a free content source for learning, then keep your own notes in anotemy so that every structure you type becomes a 3D model you can quiz yourself on.

• Neuroanatomy at UBC (neuroanatomy.ca): free open-access hub from the University of British Columbia with short lab videos, interactive modules, a web atlas of dissected-brain photos, cross-sections, MRI, 3D reconstructions, and a stroke model. Best for free university-made videos and cross-section/MRI practice alongside a course.
• TeachMeAnatomy: doctor-written articles on cerebrum, basal ganglia, cerebellum, meninges, brainstem, tracts, pathways, and cranial nerves; clinical illustrations and question bank. Free Basic account gives 4 articles/month and 600 questions; Pro from €30/month or €230 lifetime. Best for quick, exam-oriented reading on one structure at a time.
• Kenhub: structured neuroanatomy course with videos, quizzes, articles, and an HD illustrated atlas covering cerebrum, diencephalon, cerebellum, brainstem, meninges, blood supply, spinal cord, and cranial nerves. Free account limited; Premium from €29/month or €220 lifetime. Best for self-paced learners who want videos plus spaced quizzing in one place.
• Neuroscience Online + Neuroanatomy Online (UTHealth Houston): free open-access e-textbook in four sections plus 11 neuroanatomy labs with stained-slide images, gross specimens, and interactive Review/Exercise modes. Donation-supported. Best for course-style reading and image-based self-tests on brainstem and spinal cord sections.
• Netter's Atlas of Neuroscience: illustrated atlas-text in four parts with Netter plates, neuroimaging, photomicrographs, summary diagrams, and clinical correlations. 4th ed. $68.99 print+eBook; 5th ed. pre-order $71.99. Best for students who learn from labeled plates and want one integrated neuro atlas for the course.
• Ninja Nerd (YouTube Neurology playlist): 66 whiteboard lectures covering lobes, basal ganglia, thalamus, brainstem, spinal cord, tracts, ANS, and cranial nerves. Videos free; premium notes, illustrations, and quizzes $50/3 months or $168/year. Channel has 4.54M subscribers. Best for step-by-step pathway explanations before memorising.
• BrainFacts.org: from the Society for Neuroscience; plain-language articles, interactive 3D brain, glossary, and a free Brain Facts primer book. Free to read (no pricing or paywall). Best for a gentle overview or reliable plain-language explanations to share with patients or classmates.
• Radiopaedia: collaborative radiology reference with real CT/MRI cases you can scroll through, neuro articles, playlists, and quiz mode. Free forever for all; optional supporter tiers US$7–13/month. Best for clinically minded students linking neuroanatomy to imaging and stroke/lesion patterns.
• anotemy: free while in beta. Type a structure name and the word lights up; tap it to see the structure in 3D. 76 brain regions and 6,800 body parts, quiz, drawing, PDF lecture slides, print view. Works in a browser and on iPad; no native app. Best for keeping your neuro notes with live 3D models you can quiz yourself on.

Side-by-side comparison

The main split among these resources is how you interact with them: some are free open websites built for a university course (Neuroanatomy at UBC, Neuroscience Online, BrainFacts, Radiopaedia), some are paid structured courses or atlases (Kenhub, TeachMeAnatomy Pro, Netter's Atlas), and Ninja Nerd is free video with optional paid notes. anotemy sits differently: it is a note-taking app that turns the structure names you type into a 3D model you can rotate and quiz yourself on, and it is free while in beta.

Price matters when free plans have caps. TeachMeAnatomy's free Basic account allows 4 anatomy articles per month and 600 question-bank questions; its Pro plan costs €30 per month, €48 per three months, €108 per year, or €230 lifetime. Kenhub's free account includes atlas, articles, and sample videos and quizzes, but the full course is €29 per month, €66 per three months, or €220 lifetime. Netter's Atlas of Neuroscience costs $68.99 for the 4th edition print plus eBook, or $71.99 pre-order for the 5th edition. The fully free resources have no such caps: Neuroanatomy at UBC, Neuroscience Online, BrainFacts, and Radiopaedia are open, with Radiopaedia offering optional supporter tiers of US$7, US$10, or US$13 per month.

How to combine them

A simple weekly plan that uses three free tools: anotemy for notes and 3D quizzes, Neuroanatomy at UBC for course-style videos and cross-sections, and Radiopaedia for real CT and MRI. Start on Monday by picking one brain region from Neuroanatomy at UBC, such as the brainstem, cerebellum, or basal ganglia. Watch the short lab video for that region; the site also has cross-sections and a stroke model that maps syndromes to vessels. Then open anotemy in a browser on a laptop or iPad, type the region's name, and tap the word when it lights up violet. The structure turns in 3D above the word. In the same note, add a one-sentence summary, loop the main takeaway with a pen, mouse, or Apple Pencil, and use one of the four highlighter colors (yellow, green, blue, pink) to mark a structure you often confuse.

On Tuesday, go to Radiopaedia and search for a case tagged Central Nervous System that shows the same region. Scroll through the CT or MRI stack and read the case discussion. Go back to your anotemy note, and write a short paragraph about what you saw, using only the facts from the case. If the case references a specific structure you typed earlier, that word lights up again; tap it to confirm the location. On Wednesday, use anotemy's built-in quiz: tap the structure name in your note and answer the quick questions that appear. If you miss one, draw an arrow or a box around the related sentence. You can also drop a lecture slide PDF into the note; anotemy puts it in a rail beside the page and reflows text around it, which helps when you review the next week.

Thursday is for the second region: repeat Monday and Tuesday with a new structure or a cranial nerve pathway. For example, if you started with the brainstem, move to the thalamus or hippocampus. Friday, open print view in anotemy (press ⌘P on a Mac) to lay the note out on A4, and compare it side by side with the cross-sections on Neuroanatomy at UBC. This rotation uses free resources and your own notes; you do not need a paid subscription. If you prefer a bound atlas, Netter's Atlas of Neuroscience (4th edition $68.99 print plus eBook, or 5th edition $71.99 pre-order) pairs well as a labelled reference to check spelling and borders after you have drawn or written from memory. Ninja Nerd's free YouTube lecture can replace the Neuroanatomy at UBC video on any day: the Neurology playlist has 66 whiteboard lectures from neurons to plexuses, with premium notes optional at $50 per three months or $168 per year. anotemy remains free while in beta, and you can start without an account, though signing in with Google or Apple keeps your notes synced across devices.

If you study on an iPad, anotemy works in the browser with Apple Pencil drawing and finger scrolling; the 76 brain regions and 6,800 body parts each light up when you type their names, so you can quickly pull a heart or aorta into a neuro note when the autonomic pathways come up. You can also drop a PowerPoint saved as PDF into the rail for now, since native slide import is not yet ready. No handwriting-to-text recognition or spaced-repetition scheduler exists in anotemy; if you rely on Anki, keep it separate and copy your missed quiz items into Anki cards.

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