gyrus

(noun)

a ridge or fold on the cerebral cortex

Related Terms

Examples of gyrus in the following topics:

  • Limbic System

    • The septal nuclei receive reciprocal connections from the olfactory bulb, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, midbrain, habenula, cingulate gyrus, and thalamus.
    • Parahippocampal gyrus: Plays a role in the formation of spatial memory
    • Cingulate gyrus: Conducts autonomic functions regulating heart rate, blood pressure, and cognitive and attentional processing
    • Dentate gyrus: Thought to contribute to the formation of new memories

  • Human Language and the Brain

    • The angular gyrus, located in the parietal lobe of the brain, is responsible for several language processes, including number processing, spatial recognition and attention.
    • The areas of the brain necessary for processing language: Broca's area, Wernicke's area, the primary motor cortex, the posterior middle temporal gyrus, and the middle and posterior superior temporal gyrus.

  • Mapping the Primary Somatosensory Area

    • The cortical sensory homunculus is located in the postcentral gyrus and provides a representation of the body to the brain.
    • The primary somesthetic cortex (sensory) pertains to the signals within the postcentral gyrus coming from the thalamus, and the primary motor cortex pertains to signals within the precentral gyrus coming from the premotor area of the frontal lobes.
    • Typically, the area of the body corresponds to a point on the primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus).
    • Areas such as the viscera do not have sensory locations on the postcentral gyrus.
    • The postcentral gyrus is located in the parietal lobe of the human cortex and is the primary somatosensory region of the human brain.

  • General Organization of the Somatosensory System

    • Tertiary neurons have cell bodies in the thalamus and project to the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe, forming a sensory homunculus in the case of touch.
    • The primary somatosensory area of the human cortex is located in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe.
    • The postcentral gyrus is the location of the primary somatosensory area, the area of the cortex dedicated to the processing of touch information.
    • Brain: The postcentral gyrus contains Brodmann areas (BA) 3a, 3b, 1, and 2 that make up the somatosensory cortex.

  • Cerebral Lobes

    • The precentral gyrus, forming the posterior border of the frontal lobe, contains the primary motor cortex, which controls voluntary movements of specific body parts.
    • The superior temporal gyrus includes an area where auditory signals from the ear first reach the cerebral cortex and are processed by the primary auditory cortex in the left temporal lobe.
    • The ventral part of the temporal cortices appear to be involved in high-level visual processing of complex stimuli such as faces (fusiform gyrus) and scenes (parahippocampal gyrus).

  • The Limbic System

    • There are several important structures within the limbic system: the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and cingulate gyrus.
    • The cingulate gyrus is located in the medial side of the brain next to the corpus callosum.
    • There is still much to be learned about this gyrus, but it is known that its frontal part links smells and sights with pleasant memories of previous emotions.

  • Somatic Sensory Pathways

    • In the case of touch and certain types of pain, the third neuron has its cell body in the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus and ends in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe.
    • One major target within the brain is the postcentral gyrus in the cerebral cortex.
    • The primary somatosensory area in the human cortex is located in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe.

  • Phantom Limb Sensation

    • Ramachandran theorized that phantom limb sensations could be due to this reorganization in the somatosensory cortex, which is located in the postcentral gyrus and which receives input from the limbs and body.
    • This is a stylized map of the way parts of the body map to the somatosensory cortex at the postcentral gyrus.

  • Brain: Midbrain and Brain Stem

    • The cingulate gyrus helps regulate emotions and pain.
    • It includes parts of the cerebral cortex located near the center of the brain, including the cingulate gyrus and the hippocampus as well as the thalamus, hypothalamus, and amygdala.

  • Sensory Areas

    • The primary gustatory area is near the face representation within the postcentral gyrus.