cerebral cortex Flashcards
(162 cards)
- forms a complete covering of the cerebral hemisphere
- composed of gray matter and has been estimated to contain approximately 10 billion neurons
- thickness varies from 1.5 to 4.5 mm
cerebral cortex
The cortex is thickest over the crest of a ___
gyrus
thinnest in the depth of a ___
sulcus
types of nerve cells are present in the cerebral cortex
(1) pyramidal cells
(2) stellate cells
(3) fusiform cells
(4) horizontal cells of Cajal
(5) cells of Martinotti
10 to 50 um long
pyramidal cells
- giant pyramidal cells
- 120 um
- found in the motor precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe
Betz cells
- granule cells
- polygonal in shape
- 8 pm in diameter
- have multiple branching dendrites and a relatively short axon
stellate cells
have their long axis vertical to the surface and are concentrated mainly in the deepest cortical layers
fusiform cells
small, fusiform, horizontally oriented cells found in the most superficial layers of the cortex
horizontal cells of cajal
small, multipolar cells that are present throughout the levels of the cortex
cells of martinotti
- run at right angles to the cortical surface
- include the afferent entering projection, association, and commissural fibers
radial fibers
- run parallel to the cortical surface and are collateral and terminal branches of afferent fibers
- mostly concenrated in layers 4 and 5
tangenital fibers
well developed in the sensory areas due to the high concentration of the terminal parts of the thalamocortical fibers
bands of baillarger
In the visual cortex, the outer band of Baillarger, which is so thick that it can be seen with the naked eye, is known as the ___
stria of Gennari
Because of this obvious band, or stria, the visual cortex in the walls of the calcarine sulcus is sometimes called the ___
striate cortex
- plexiform layer
- most superficial layer
- consists mainly of a dense network of tangentially oriented nerve fibers
molecular layer
- contains large numbers of small pyramidal cells and stellate cells
external granular layer
composed of pyramidal cells, whose cell body size increases from the superficial to the deeper borders of the layer
external pyramidal layer
composed of closely packed stellate cells with a high concentration of horizontally arranged fibers known collectively as the external band of Baillarger
internal granular layer
- Ganglionic layer
- contains very large and medium-size pyramidal cells
internal pyramidal layer
a large number of horizontally arranged fibers form the ___
inner band of Baillarger
- layer of polymorphic cells
- modified pyramidal cells, whose cell bodies are triangular or ovoid
multiform layer
areas of the cortex in which the basic six layers cannot be recognized are referred to as ___
heterotypical
possess six layers
homotypical