Corpus callosum - wikipedia Corpus callosum For the films, see * Corpus Callosum and Corpus Callosum ( 2007 film ). Corpus callosum Corpus callosum from above. ( Anterior portion is at the top of the image. ) Median sagittal section of brain ( person faces to the left ). Corpus callosum visible at center, in light gray Details Part of Human brain Components Genu, trunk, splenium Identifiers MeSH A08. 186.211. 730.885. 362 NeuroNames hier - 173 NeuroLex ID Corpus callosum TA A14. 1.09. 241 FMA 86464 Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy ( edit on Wikidata ) Corpus callosum with Anatomography The corpus callosum ( / ˈkɔːrpəs kəˈloʊsəm / ; Latin for `` tough body '' ), also callosal commissure, is a wide commissure, a flat bundle of commissural fibers, about 10 cm long beneath the cerebral cortex in the brains of placental mammals. It spans part of the longitudinal fissure, connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres, and enables communication between the hemispheres. It is the largest white matter structure in the human brain, consisting of 200 -- 250 million axonal projections. Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Sexual dimorphism 2 Other correlations 3 Clinical significance 3.1 Epilepsy 3.2 Failure to develop 3.3 Other disease 4 History 5 Other animals 6 Additional images 7 References 8 External links Structure Sagittal post mortem section through the midline brain. The corpus callosum is the curved band of lighter tissue at the center of the brain above the hypothalamus. Its lighter texture is due to higher myelin content, resulting in faster neuronal impulse transmission. The posterior end of the corpus callosum, near to the cerebellum, is called the splenium. This is the thickest part, and overlaps the tela chorioidea of the third ventricle and the mid-brain, and ends in a thick, convex, free border. Splenium translates as bandage in Greek. A sagittal section of the brain shows that the posterior end of the corpus callosum is acutely bent forward, the upper and lower parts being applied to each other. The anterior end near to the frontal lobes is called the genu ( `` knee '' ). The genu of the corpus callosum is bent downward and backward in front of the septum pellucidum ; diminishing rapidly in thickness. It is prolonged backward under the name of the rostrum, and is connected below with the lamina terminalis, which stretches from the interventricular foramina to the recess at the base of the optic stalk. The rostrum is so named for its resemblance to a bird 's beak. The anterior cerebral arteries are in contact with the under surface of the rostrum ; they then arch over the front of the genu, and are carried backward above the body of the corpus callosum. The body or truncus of the corpus callosum is between the splenium and the genu. A narrowed part between the body and the splenium is known as the isthmus of the corpus callosum. On either side of the corpus callosum, the fibers radiate in the white matter and pass to the various parts of the cerebral cortex ; those curving forward from the genu into the frontal lobe constitute the forceps anterior, and those curving backward into the occipital lobe, the forceps posterior. Between these two parts is the main body of the fibers which constitute the tapetum and extend laterally on either side into the temporal lobe, and cover in the central part of the lateral ventricle. Thinner axons in the genu connect the prefrontal cortex between the two halves of the brain ; these fibres arise from a fork - like bundle of fibers from the tapetum, the forceps anterior. Thicker axons in the mid body, or trunk of the corpus callosum, interconnect areas of the motor cortex, with proportionately more of the corpus callosum dedicated to supplementary motor regions including Broca 's area. The posterior body of the corpus, known as the splenium, communicates somatosensory information between the two halves of the parietal lobe and the visual cortex at the occipital lobe, these are the fibres of the forceps posterior. In a study of five - to eighteen - year - olds there was found to be a positive correlation between age and callosal thickness. Sexual dimorphism The corpus callosum and its relation to sex has been a subject of debate in the scientific and lay communities for over a century. Initial research in the early 20th century claimed the corpus to be different in size between men and women. That research was in turn questioned, and ultimately gave way to more advanced imaging techniques that appeared to refute earlier correlations. However, advanced analytical techniques of computational neuroanatomy developed in the 1990s showed that sex differences were clear but confined to certain parts of the corpus callosum, and that they correlated with cognitive performance in certain tests. One recent study using magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) found that the midsagittal corpus callosum cross-sectional area is, after controlling brain size, on average, proportionately larger in females. Using diffusion tensor sequences on MRI machines, the rate at which molecules diffuse in and out of a specific area of tissue, anisotropy can be measured and used as an indirect measurement of anatomical connection strength. These sequences have found consistent sex differences in human corpus callosal morphology and microstructure. Morphometric analysis has also been used to study specific three - dimensional mathematical relationships with MRIs, and have found consistent and statistically significant differences across genders. Specific algorithms have found significant differences between the two genders in over 70 % of cases in one review. Other correlations The front portion of the human corpus callosum has been reported to be significantly larger in musicians than nonmusicians, and to be 0.75 cm or 11 % larger in left - handed and ambidextrous people than right - handed people. This difference is evident in the anterior and posterior regions of the corpus callosum, but not in the splenium. Other magnetic resonance morphometric study showed corpus callosum size correlates positively with verbal memory capacity and semantic coding test performance. Children with dyslexia tend to have smaller and less - developed corpus callosums than their nondyslexic counterparts. Musical training has shown to increase plasticity of the corpus callosum during a sensitive period of time in development. The implications are an increased coordination of hands, differences in white matter structure, and amplification of plasticity in motor and auditory scaffolding which would serve to aid in future musical training. The study found children who had begun musical training before the age of six ( minimum 15 months of training ) had an increased volume of their corpus callosum and adults who had begun musical training before the age of 11 also had increased bimanual coordination. Clinical significance Epilepsy Electroencephalography is used to find the source of electrical activity causing a seizure as part of the surgical evaluation for a corpus callosotomy. The symptoms of refractory epilepsy can be reduced by cutting the corpus callosum in an operation known as a corpus callosotomy. This is usually reserved for cases in which complex or grand mal seizures are produced by an epileptogenic focus on one side of the brain, causing an interhemispheric electrical storm. The work up for this procedure involves an electroencephalogram, MRI, PET scan, and evaluation by a specialized neurologist, neurosurgeon, psychiatrist, and neuroradiologist before surgery can be considered. Failure to develop Main article : Agenesis of the corpus callosum The formation of the corpus callosum begins with the first midline crossing of pioneer axons around week 12 of the human prenatal development, or embryonic day 15 of the mouse. Agenesis of the corpus callosum ( ACC ) is a rare congenital disorder that is one of the most common brain malformations observed in human beings, in which the corpus callosum is partially or completely absent. ACC is usually diagnosed within the first two years of life, and may manifest as a severe syndrome in infancy or childhood, as a milder condition in young adults, or as an asymptomatic incidental finding. Initial symptoms of ACC usually include seizures, which may be followed by feeding problems and delays in holding the head erect, sitting, standing, and walking. Other possible symptoms may include impairments in mental and physical development, hand - eye coordination, and visual and auditory memory. Hydrocephaly may also occur. In mild cases, symptoms such as seizures, repetitive speech, or headaches may not appear for years. Some syndromes that are often associated with ACC are Aicardi syndrome, Andermann syndrome, Shapiro syndrome, and acrocallosal syndrome. ACC is usually not fatal. Treatment usually involves management of symptoms, such as hydrocephaly and seizures, if they occur. Although many children with the disorder lead normal lives and have average intelligence, careful neuropsychological testing reveals subtle differences in higher cortical function compared to individuals of the same age and education without ACC. Children with ACC accompanied by developmental delay and / or seizure disorders should be screened for metabolic disorders. In addition to agenesis of the corpus callosum, similar conditions are hypogenesis ( partial formation ), dysgenesis ( malformation ), and hypoplasia ( underdevelopment, including too thin ). Recent studies have also linked possible correlations between corpus callosum malformation and autism spectrum disorders. Kim Peek, a savant and the inspiration behind the movie Rain Man, was found with agenesis of the corpus callosum. Other disease Anterior corpus callosum lesions may result in akinetic mutism or anomic aphasia. See also : Alien hand syndrome Alexia without agraphia ( seen with damage to splenium of corpus callosum ) Split - brain Septo - optic dysplasia ( deMorsier syndrome ) Multiple sclerosis with the Dawson 's fingers sign Encephalopathy a mild form with a reversible splenial lesion -- a rare encephalopathy of unknown origin with a transient lesion in the splenium, mostly associated with infectious diseases Marchiafava -- Bignami disease a degenerative disease characterised by loss of myelin and necrosis of the corpus callosum History The first study of the corpus with relation to gender was by R.B. Bean, a Philadelphia anatomist, who suggested in 1906 that `` exceptional size of the corpus callosum may mean exceptional intellectual activity '' and that there were measurable differences between men and women. Perhaps reflecting the political climate of the times, he went on to claim differences in the size of the callosum across different races. His research was ultimately refuted by Franklin Mall, the director of his own laboratory. Of more mainstream impact was a 1982 Science article by Holloway and Utamsing that suggested sex difference in human brain morphology, which related to differences in cognitive ability. Time published an article in 1992 that suggested that, because the corpus is `` often wider in the brains of women than in those of men, it may allow for greater cross-talk between the hemispheres -- possibly the basis for women 's intuition. '' More recent publications in the psychology literature have raised doubt as to whether the anatomic size of the corpus is actually different. A meta - analysis of 49 studies since 1980 found that, contrary to de Lacoste - Utamsing and Holloway, no sex difference could be found in the size of the corpus callosum, whether or not account was taken of larger male brain size. A study in 2006 using thin slice MRI showed no difference in thickness of the corpus when accounting for the size of the subject. Other animals The corpus callosum is found only in placental mammals ( the eutherians ), while it is absent in monotremes and marsupials, as well as other vertebrates such as birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. ( Other groups do have other brain structures that allow for communication between the two hemispheres, such as the anterior commissure, which serves as the primary mode of interhemispheric communication in marsupials, and which carries all the commissural fibers arising from the neocortex ( also known as the neopallium ), whereas in placental mammals, the anterior commissure carries only some of these fibers. ) In primates, the speed of nerve transmission depends on its degree of myelination, or lipid coating. This is reflected by the diameter of the nerve axon. In most primates, axonal diameter increases in proportion to brain size to compensate for the increased distance to travel for neural impulse transmission. This allows the brain to coordinate sensory and motor impulses. However, the scaling of overall brain size and increased myelination have not occurred between chimpanzees and humans. This has resulted in the human corpus callosum 's requiring double the time for interhemispheric communication as a macaque 's. The fibrous bundle at which the corpus callosum appears, can and does increase to such an extent in humans that it encroaches upon and wedges apart the hippocampal structures. Additional images Corpus callosum Corpus callosum Corpus callosum Coronal T2 ( grey scale inverted ) MRI of the brain at the level of the caudate nuclei emphasizing corpus callosum Corpus callosum parts on MRI Play media DTI Corpus callosum Ventricles of brain and basal ganglia. Superior view. Horizontal section. 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External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corpus callosum. Stained brain slice images which include the `` corpus callosum '' at the BrainMaps project Comparative Neuroscience at Wikiversity NIF Search -- Corpus callosum via the Neuroscience Information Framework National Organization for Disorders of the Corpus Callosum A 3D model of corpus callosum Commissural fibers in the human brain Corpus callosum Genu Splenium Tapetum Rostrum Archicortex Supracallosal gyrus Lamina terminalis Vascular organ of lamina terminalis Anterior commissure Fornix Fornix Septum pellucidum Septal nuclei Medial septal nucleus Subfornical organ Cave of septum pellucidum Other Posterior commissure Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corpus_callosum&oldid=804527609 '' Categories : Cerebral white matter Corpus callosum Hidden categories : Medicine infobox template using GraySubject or GrayPage All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017 All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from February 2013 Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Қазақша Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 9 October 2017, at 16 : 20. 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Question: what connects the two halves of the cerebral cortex
Answer: The corpus callosum (/ˈkɔːrpəs kəˈloʊsəm/; Latin for "tough body"), also callosal commissure