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Related Concept Videos

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

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The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
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The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
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The cerebellum, also known as the "little brain," is located in the posterior cranial fossa, inferior to the tentorium cerebelli and dorsal to the brainstem. It plays a significant role in motor control, coordination, and proprioception.
Cerebellar Structure
Externally, the cerebellum features a highly convoluted surface with numerous folia (narrow ridges) separated by shallow sulci (grooves). The cerebellum is divided into two hemispheres by a thin median structure known as the vermis. The...
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Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview II01:11

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Each cerebral hemisphere can be divided into three main regions. The outermost region, the cerebral cortex, is a thin layer (2 to 4 millimeters thick) made up of gray matter, consisting of neuron cell bodies, dendrites, glial cells, and blood vessels. The middle region, or white matter, is primarily composed of myelinated nerve fibers organized into three types of large tracts: association fibers, commissures, and projection fibers. Association fibers connect different areas within the same...
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Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

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Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the...
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Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:24

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The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
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Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

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Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
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Double In Utero Electroporation to Target Temporally and Spatially Separated Cell Populations
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Spindle-Shaped Neurons in the Human Posteromedial (Precuneus) Cortex.

Francisco Javier Fuentealba-Villarroel1,2, Josué Renner1,3, Arlete Hilbig4

  • 1Department of Basic Sciences/Physiology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience
|January 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Researchers identified spindle-shaped neurons, similar to von Economo neurons (VENs), in the human precuneus (PC). These findings may shed light on the default mode network and general intelligence in health and disease.

Keywords:
3D reconstructioncytology (CY)default mode network (DMN)dendritic spinesgeneral intelligence (g)human brain (cerebral cortex)von Economo neuron (VEN)

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Related Experiment Videos

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Brain Anatomy
  • Cortical Cytoarchitecture

Background:

  • The posteromedial cortex (PMC), including the precuneus (PC), is a key area for emotion, awareness, spatial cognition, and social behavior.
  • Understanding the cellular composition of the PC is crucial for comprehending higher-order brain functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the morphology of elongated spindle-shaped neurons in the human anterior and central precuneus (PC).
  • To investigate the potential presence and characteristics of von Economo neurons (VENs) within the PC.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an adapted "single-section" Golgi method on postmortem human brain tissue.
  • Employed three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction from microscopic images to analyze neuronal morphology.
  • Examined neurons in cortical layer V, noting their relationship with pyramidal and layer VI cells.

Main Results:

  • Identified Nissl-stained, elongated spindle-shaped neurons in layer V of the adult human anterior and central PC.
  • Described the cell body, ascending/descending dendrites, and spine occurrence of these neurons.
  • Observed variations including cells with straight dendritic shafts and axons emerging from the soma.

Conclusions:

  • The findings suggest the presence of VEN-like neurons in the human PC, contributing to integrated brain networks.
  • Highlights the need for further neurochemical and transcriptomic studies of PC cytoarchitecture.
  • These neurons may play a role in default mode network function, general intelligence, and neuropsychiatric disorders involving the PMC.