atlas

Also known as cervical atlas, C1 vertebra, first cervical vertebra, cervical vertebra 1, C1

first cervical vertebra of the spine

Key facts

Latin: atlas, vertebra cervicalis I
Mesh: D001270
Ta98: A02.2.02.101

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

74,057 papers

PreCancer Atlas: Present and Future.Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2023
The Human Brainnetome Atlas: A New Brain Atlas Based on Connectional Architecture.Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) · 2016
A mouse brain stereotaxic topographic atlas with isotropic 1-μm resolution.Nature · 2025
A probabilistic atlas of the human thalamic nuclei combining ex vivo MRI and histology.NeuroImage · 2018
Atlas-based data integration for mapping the connections and architecture of the brain.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2022

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: AtlasBone Image.jpg

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Commons category: Atlas (anatomy)
NCI Thesaurus ID: C32239

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~11 min read

Article

In anatomy, the atlas (C1) is the most superior (first) cervical vertebra of the spine and is located in the neck.

The bone is named after Atlas of Greek mythology, just as Atlas bore the weight of the heavens, the first cervical vertebra supports the head. However, the term atlas was first used by the ancient Romans for the seventh cervical vertebra (C7) due to its suitability for supporting burdens. In Greek mythology, Atlas was condemned to bear the weight of the heavens as punishment for rebelling against Zeus. Ancient depictions of Atlas show the globe of the heavens resting at the base of his neck, on C7. Sometime around 1522, anatomists decided to call the first cervical vertebra the atlas. Scholars believe that by switching the designation atlas from the seventh to the first cervical vertebra Renaissance anatomists were commenting that the point of man's burden had shifted from his shoulders to his head—that man's true burden was not a physical load, but rather, his mind.