Corpus callosum | |
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Details | |
Pronunciation | /ˈkɔːrpəs kəˈloʊsəm/ |
Part of | Human brain |
Parts | Genu, rostrum, trunk, splenium |
Function | Facilitating communication between the two brain hemispheres, allowing them to share information and coordinate functions like movement, sensory processing, and cognitive tasks |
Identifiers | |
MeSH | D003337 |
NeuroNames | 191 |
NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1087 |
TA98 | A14.1.09.241 |
TA2 | 5604 |
FMA | 86464 |
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy |
The corpus callosum (Latin for "tough body"), also callosal commissure, is a wide, thick nerve tract, consisting of a flat bundle of commissural fibers, beneath the cerebral cortex in the brain. The corpus callosum is only found in placental mammals.[1] It spans part of the longitudinal fissure, connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres, enabling communication between them. It is the largest white matter structure in the human brain, about 10 cm (3.9 in) in length and consisting of 200–300 million axonal projections.[2][3]
A number of separate nerve tracts, classed as subregions of the corpus callosum, connect different parts of the hemispheres. The main ones are known as the genu, the rostrum, the trunk or body, and the splenium.[4]