cerebrum

cerebrum
Henry Vandyke Carter · Public domain · source
Name	Cerebrum
Caption	Sagittal view highlighting major cerebral structures
System	Nervous system

cerebrum The cerebrum is the largest part of the human brain, responsible for higher-order processing and integration of sensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional information. It occupies the cranial vault above the brainstem and cerebellum and is subdivided into cerebral hemispheres that communicate via commissural fibers. Historically central to neurology and neuroscience research, the cerebrum has been studied by figures and institutions ranging from Santiago Ramón y Cajal to National Institutes of Health investigators.

Anatomy

The cerebrum comprises the paired left and right cerebral hemispheres separated by the interhemispheric fissure and connected by the Corpus callosum, Anterior commissure, and other commissures, with cortical surfaces displaying gyri and sulci such as the Central sulcus and Lateral sulcus. Cortical organization includes layers of neocortex overlying allocortical structures like the Hippocampus and Amygdala, and deep gray nuclei including the Caudate nucleus, Putamen, Globus pallidus and Claustrum. White matter tracts include projection fibers in the Internal capsule, association fibers such as the Superior longitudinal fasciculus, and commissural bundles; vascular supply arises from branches of the Internal carotid artery and Vertebral artery forming the Circle of Willis. Meningeal coverings continuous with spinal meninges and cerebrospinal fluid within the Ventricular system cushion and metabolically support cerebral tissue; dura is anchored at points including the Falx cerebri and Tentorium cerebelli.

Development

Cerebral development begins with neurulation in the embryo under genetic regulation by transcription factors including Pax6, Emx2, and signaling centers like the Spemann organizer and the Isthmic organizer. Primary brain vesicles such as the prosencephalon subdivide into telencephalon and diencephalon; telencephalic evagination forms the cerebral hemispheres, guided by migratory cues like reelin and growth factors from sources including the Notch signaling pathway and Sonic hedgehog. Cortical lamination and gyrification are influenced by progenitor zones such as the ventricular zone and subventricular zone studied in laboratories at institutions like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Max Planck Society centers. Developmental disorders altering these processes are subjects of research at organizations including World Health Organization and clinical centers like Mayo Clinic.

Functions

The cerebrum mediates perception, voluntary movement, language, memory, executive control, and affect through distributed networks studied by pioneers and organizations such as Paul Broca, Carl Wernicke, John Hughlings Jackson, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sensorimotor integration involves primary areas adjacent to the Central sulcus and association cortices interacting via the Thalamus and basal ganglia circuits implicated in models developed by researchers at University College London and Stanford University. Language processing engages regions historically linked to Broca's area and Wernicke's area while memory consolidation recruits pathways between the Hippocampus and neocortex, with mechanisms explored in studies at Columbia University and University of California, San Francisco. Emotion and social cognition implicate the Prefrontal cortex and limbic structures, topics of investigation at institutions like Yale University and University of Cambridge.

Pathology

Pathologies affecting the cerebrum include ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke involving branches of the Middle cerebral artery and Anterior cerebral artery, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease with cortical and subcortical involvement, infectious encephalitides linked to agents monitored by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, and demyelinating diseases like Multiple sclerosis studied at centers including Johns Hopkins Hospital. Traumatic brain injuries from events such as the Battle of Somme-era combat or modern accidents produce contusions and diffuse axonal injury; neoplasms include gliomas classified by criteria from organizations such as the World Health Organization. Epilepsy syndromes arising from cortical foci have been mapped and surgically treated at institutions like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic.

Clinical significance

Clinical assessment of cerebrum function uses neurologic examination elements developed by clinicians at Guy's Hospital and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and imaging modalities standardized by groups such as the Radiological Society of North America and American College of Radiology, including Magnetic resonance imaging and Computed tomography. Therapeutic interventions range from pharmacologic agents approved by regulatory bodies like the Food and Drug Administration to surgical procedures such as corpus callosotomy and lobectomy performed at tertiary centers including Massachusetts General Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. Rehabilitation strategies engage multidisciplinary teams influenced by guidelines from World Health Organization and national health services like the National Health Service (England), while ongoing research at entities such as National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and European Research Council continues to refine understanding of cerebral function and disease.

Category:Brain