Comparative analysis of four nuclei in the human brainstem: Individual differences, left-right asymmetry, species differences

Introduction: It is commonly thought that while the organization of the cerebral cortex changes dramatically over evolution, the organization of the brainstem is conserved across species. It is further assumed that, as in other species, brainstem organization is similar from one human to the next. We will review our data on four human brainstem nuclei that suggest that both ideas may need modification. Methods: We have studied the …