Telencephalon - general organization.

Functional organization of the cerebral

cortex.

Teaching assistant Marija Drakul, MD

Laboratory class 2, Week 12th
The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, spanning all three
cranial fossae. Firstly, the cerebrum is divided into two hemispheres
– a left and a right – by the falx cerebri (inferior projection of the
dura mater containing the superior and inferior sagittal sinuses)
along the longitudinal cerebral fissure. Each hemisphere can then be
subdivided into lobes that are named according to the cranial bones
under which they reside. The forebrain undergoes a significant
amount of folding during development. This resulted in the surface
of the cerebral cortices being arranged in a vast array of hills and
valleys. The hills are known as gyri (lobules) and the valleys are the
sulci (or fissures). It should be noted that the pia mater (inner most
meningeal layer) is closely associated with the brain tissue and
follows it into the sulci.
Conversely, the arachnoid mater (middle meningeal layer) covers the
gyri and covers over the sulci (without going into the depression).
Sulci and lobes
Knowledge of the sulci helps with the identification of the different lobes. The
largest sulcus is the central sulcus of Rolando. It’s a midline structure that
separates the frontal lobe (anteriorly located) from the parietal lobe.
The lateral sulcus of Sylvius (or the Sylvian fissure) is an inferolateral sulcus that
separates the temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes (both of which are
superior to the sulcus).
The preoccipital notch is a posteroinferior point that demarcates the transition
from the temporal lobe to the occipital lobe. An imaginary line from the
preoccipital notch to the parieto-occipital sulcus also helps to define the boundary
between the parietal and the occipital lobes. A horizontal imaginary line extending
from the upper part of the Sylvian fissure to intersect the previously described line
will also help in marking the transition from the parietal lobe to the temporal lobe.
Telencephalon-lateral view
Telencephalon-medial view
Telencephalon-inferior view
Telencephalon-horizontal section.
White and gray matter
organization.
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobe occupies the anterior cranial fossa. It is made up of four gyri –
superior, middle, inferior and precentral – that are separated from each other by a
superior frontal, an inferior frontal and a precentral sulcus. The superior frontal
gyrus is cranial to the superior frontal sulcus.
Below that sulcus is the middle frontal gyrus,while caudal to that is the inferior
frontal sulcus and gyrus. All three gyri are anterior to the vertical precentral sulcus
and gyrus (the gyrus is just anterior to the central sulcus of Rolando).
The inferior frontal gyrus is further subdivided into three parts by the anterior and
ascending rami of the lateral sulcus of Sylvius. Anterior to the anterior ramus is
the pars orbitalis of the inferior frontal gyrus. Between the anterior ramus and the
ascending ramus is the pars triangularis. Finally, posterior to the ascending ramus
is the pars operculum, which is also bounded posteriorly by the Sylvian fissure’s
posterior ramus.
Parietal lobe
The parietal lobe also has three gyri and two sulci. The central sulcus
of Rolando is its anterior boundary of the postcentral gyrus. Posterior
to the postcentral gyrus is the postcentral sulcus. An intraparietal
sulcus (roughly perpendicular to the postcentral sulcus) travels toward
the occipital lobe with the superior parietal lobule above and the
inferior parietal lobule below. The latter is further subdivided into a
supramarginal gyrus anteriorly and an angular gyrus posteriorly.
The postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe, the precentral gyrus of the
frontal lobe and the paracentral gyrus (in the medial surface of the
brain) are collectively referred to as the central lobe of the brain.
 Temporal lobe
The temporal lobe can be found in the middle cranial fossa. It has three gyri and
two sulci. The superior temporal gyrus is just caudal to the Sylvian fissure, but
cranial to the superior temporal sulcus. The middle temporal gyrus rests between
the superior and inferior temporal sulci; while the inferior temporal gyrus is
inferior to the latter sulcus.

Occipital lobe
The occipital lobe is the most posterior of the five lobes. It occupies the posterior
cranial fossa and has several sulci in its substance. There is a small lateral
projection of the calcarine sulcus, a transverse occipital sulcus and an inconstant
lunate sulcus. The gyri of the occipital lobe are better appreciated when the
cerebrum is viewed medially.

Insula
The insula (or island of Reil) is a deep cerebral lobe that has two sulci and two gyri.
There is a short gyrus that is located anteriorly and a long gyrus posteriorly.
Between both gyri is the central sulcus of the insula. A circular sulcus courses along
the medial parts of the opercula of the frontal, parietal, orbital and temporal lobes.
A sagittal section along the longitudinal cerebral fissure reveals the medial surface of
the cerebrum. Additional gyri and sulci of the previously mentioned lobes can be better
appreciated in this view.
Sulci and gyri
Inferior to the genu of the corpus callosum and anterior to the lamina terminalis of the
hypothalamus is the subcallosal gyrus. The cingulate gyrus commences just anterior to the
parolfactory area (inferior to the genu of the corpus callosum) and follows the contour of
the commissural body and the callosal sulcus. The cingulate sulcus is superior to the
cingulate gyrus and separates it from the medial frontal gyrus.
The medial frontal gyrus is limited posteriorly by the paracentral sulcus. Posterior to the
paracentral lobule (which is behind the paracentral sulcus and contains a small medial
projection of the central sulcus of Rolando), the cingulate sulcus courses superiorly and
becomes the marginal sulcus. The lobule just posterior to the marginal sulcus is the
precuneus. It is separated posteriorly from the cuneus by the parieto-occipital sulcus.
The calcarine sulcus travels horizontally from the occipital pole to meet the parieto-
occipital sulcus just posterior to the venous junction of the great vein of Galen and the
straight sinus. Inferior to the calcarine sulcus is the lingual gyrus of the occipital lobe, which
rests on the cerebral surface of the tentorium cerebelli (roughly horizontal projection of the
dura mater).
The cerebral cortex
and brain lobes,
including
important sulci and
gyri
Medial view of the brain cortex
Inferior view of the brain
cortex
Lateral view
Central sulcus of Rolando
Lateral sulcus of Sylvius
Parieto-occipital sulcus
Frontal lobe
Superior/Middle/Inferior frontal gyri & sulci
Precentral sulcus & gyrus
Temporal lobe
Superior/Middle/Inferior temporal gyri & sulci
Parietal lobe
Postcentral sulcus & gyrus
Intraparietal sulcus
Superior/Inferior parietal lobules Key
Supramarginal gyrus
Angular gyrus facts!
Insula
Short gyrus
Long gyrus
Central sulcus of the insula
Circular sulcus
Occipital lobe
Calcarine sulcus
Transverse occipital sulcus
Lunate sulcus
Medial view
Subcallosal gyrus
Cingulate gyrus
Callosal sulcus
Cingulate sulcus
Medial frontal gyrus
Marginal sulcus
Precuneus
Cuneus
Calcarine sulcus
Lingual sulcus
Inferior view
Frontal lobe
Rectus gyrus
Olfactory sulcus Key
Orbital sulci & gyri
Temporal lobe
Uncus
facts!
Parahippocampal gyrus
Rhinal sulcus
Medial occipitotemporal gyrus
Collateral sulcus
Lateral occipitotemporal gyrus
Occipitotemporal sulcus
Function
The cerebral cortex is organized into different functional areas/units that process various stimuli and are
responsible for specific brain functions including sensory, motor and higher intellectual functions. Its
neurons receive input from several subcortical structures conveyed by the thalamus as well as from
other cortical regions via association fibers. Neuronal fibers from the cerebral cortex, in turn, project to
several structures in the central nervous system including other cortical areas, the thalamus, basal
nuclei, brainstem nuclei, pontine nuclei, cerebellum and spinal cord. These functional areas are located
in the various lobes of the cerebral cortex.
The frontal lobe contains the prefrontal cortex, premotor cortex, primary motor cortex (Brodmann
area 6), Broca’s area (Brodmann areas 44 and 45, inferior frontal gyrus). This lobe is responsible for
the control of voluntary movement, and is involved in attention, short term memory tasks, motivation,
planning and also contributes to personality traits.
The parietal lobe is responsible for integrating proprioceptive and mechanoceptive stimuli, and also
plays a role in language processing. It contains the primary somatosensory cortex (Brodmann areas
3,2,1), somatosensory association cortex (Brodmann areas 5, 7), and the inferior parietal lobule which
forms part of the Wernicke’s area.
The occipital lobe contains the primary visual cortex (Brodmann Area 17) and is the center for visual
processing (calcarine sulcus, part of cuneus and lingual gyrus).
The temporal lobe is involved in decoding sensory input into derived meanings for retention of visual
memory and language comprehension. It contains the primary auditory cortex ( superior temporal
gyrus) and Wernicke's area.
The insular cortex plays a role in the processing and integration of taste sensation, visceral and pain
sensation and vestibular functions.
The limbic lobe contains areas that are concerned with the modulation of emotions, modulation of
visceral and autonomic functions, learning, and memory.
Motor and sensory cortical
homunculi
This image shows a
coronal section of the
brain through the
precentral gyrus and the
postcentral gyrus.
The motor
homunculus (superior
image) represents the
topographic map of the
motor innervation of the
body. Note that the body
parts of the homunculus
are not proportional to the
real body parts. This is
because the amount of
cortex dedicated to each
body part is proportional
to the intricacy and
complexity of the motor
function of each body part.
The sensory
homunculus (inferior
image) is a topographic
distribution of the
somatosensory
innervation of different
body parts. Again the area
BA 44 and 45: Broca’s speech and language area (located in dominant
hemisphere)
BA 17: Primary visual cortex (striate cortex)
BA 18: Secondary visual cortex
BA 19: Associative visual cortex
BA 41 & 42: Primary auditory
cortex
Laboratory class 2-THE
END!