Meninges - wikipedia Meninges `` Meninx '' redirects here. For the Tunisian island formerly known as `` Meninx '', see Djerba. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2014 ) Meninges The meninges : dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater Details Artery middle meningeal artery, meningeal branches of the ascending pharyngeal artery, accessory meningeal artery, branch of anterior ethmoidal artery, meningeal branches of vertebral artery Nerve middle meningeal nerve, nervus spinosus Identifiers Latin Meninges MeSH D008578 TA A14. 1.01. 001 FMA 231572 Anatomical terminology ( edit on Wikidata ) The meninges ( / məˈnɪndʒiːz /, singular : meninx ( / ˈmiːnɪŋks / or / ˈmɛnɪŋks / ), from Ancient Greek : μῆνιγξ, translit. mēninx, lit. ' membrane ', adjectival : meningeal / məˈnɪndʒəl / ) are the three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord. In mammals, the meninges are the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater. Cerebrospinal fluid is located in the subarachnoid space between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater. The primary function of the meninges is to protect the central nervous system. Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Dura mater 1.2 Arachnoid mater 1.3 Pia mater 1.4 Leptomeninges 1.5 Spaces 2 Clinical significance 3 Other animals 4 Additional images 5 References Structure Dura mater Main article : Dura mater The dura mater ( Latin : tough mother ) ( also rarely called meninx fibrosa or pachymeninx ) is a thick, durable membrane, closest to the skull and vertebrae. The dura mater, the outermost part, is a loosely arranged, fibroelastic layer of cells, characterized by multiple interdigitating cell processes, no extracellular collagen, and significant extracellular spaces. The middle region is a mostly fibrous portion. It consists of two layers : the endosteal layer, which lies closest to the calvaria ( skullcap ), and the inner meningeal layer, which lies closer to the brain. It contains larger blood vessels that split into the capillaries in the pia mater. It is composed of dense fibrous tissue, and its inner surface is covered by flattened cells like those present on the surfaces of the pia mater and arachnoid mater. The dura mater is a sac that envelops the arachnoid mater and surrounds and supports the large dural sinuses carrying blood from the brain toward the heart. The dura has four areas of infolding : Falx cerebri, the largest, sickle - shaped ; separates the cerebral hemispheres. Starts from the frontal crest of frontal bone and the crista galli running to the internal occipital protuberance. Tentorium cerebelli, the second largest, crescent - shaped ; separates the occipital lobes from cerebellum. The falx cerebri attaches to it giving a tentlike appearance. Falx cerebelli, vertical infolding ; lies inferior to the tentorium cerebelli, separating the cerebellar hemispheres. Diaphragma sellae, smallest infolding ; covers the pituitary gland and sella turcica. Arachnoid mater Main article : Arachnoid mater Diagram of section of top of brain showing the meninges and subarachnoid space The middle element of the meninges is the arachnoid mater, so named because of its spider web - like appearance. It cushions the central nervous system. This thin, transparent membrane is composed of fibrous tissue and, like the pia mater, is covered by flat cells also thought to be impermeable to fluid. The shape of the arachnoid does not follow the convolutions of the surface of the brain and so looks like a loosely fitting sac. In particular, in the region of the brain a large number of fine filaments called arachnoid trabeculae pass from the arachnoid through the subarachnoid space to blend with the tissue of the pia mater. The arachnoid is composed of an outermost portion ( arachnoid barrier cell layer ) with tightly packed cells and no extracellular collagen ; that is why it is considered to represent an effective morphological and physiological meningeal barrier between the cerebrospinal fluid and subarachnoid space and the blood circulation in the dura. The arachnoid barrier layer is characterized by a distinct continuous basal lamina on its inner surface toward the innermost collagenous portion of the arachnoid reticular layer. Pia mater Main article : Pia mater The pia mater ( Latin : tender mother ) is a very delicate membrane. It is the meningeal envelope that firmly adheres to the surface of the brain and spinal cord, following all of the brain 's contours ( the gyri and sulci ). It is a very thin membrane composed of fibrous tissue covered on its outer surface by a sheet of flat cells thought to be impermeable to fluid. The pia mater is pierced by blood vessels to the brain and spinal cord, and its capillaries nourish the brain. Leptomeninges The arachnoid and pia mater together are sometimes called the leptomeninges, literally `` thin meninges '' ( Greek : λεπτός leptos - thin ). Acute meningococcal meningitis can lead to an exudate within the leptomeninges along the surface of the brain. Because the arachnoid is connected to the pia by cob - web like strands, it is structurally continuous with the pia, hence the name pia - arachnoid or leptomeninges. They are responsible for the production of beta - trace protein ( prostaglandin D synthase ) a major cerebrospinal fluid protein. Spaces Diagram of section of spinal cord showing the meninges and spaces. Subarachnoid space coloured blue The subarachnoid space is the space that normally exists between the arachnoid and the pia mater, which is filled with cerebrospinal fluid, and continues down the spinal cord. Spaces are formed from openings at different points along the subarachnoid space and these are the subarachnoid cisterns which are filled with cerebrospinal fluid. The dura mater is attached to the skull, whereas in the spinal cord, the dura mater is separated from the vertebrae by a space called the epidural space, which contains fat and blood vessels. The arachnoid is attached to the dura mater, while the pia mater is attached to the central nervous system tissue. When the dura mater and the arachnoid separate through injury or illness, the space between them is the subdural space. There is a subpial space underneath the pia mater that separates it from the glia limitans. Clinical significance Injuries involving the meninges, can result in a hemorrhage and two types of hematoma. A subarachnoid hemorrhage is acute bleeding under the arachnoid ; it may occur spontaneously or as a result of trauma. A subdural hematoma is a hematoma ( collection of blood ) located in a separation of the arachnoid from the dura mater. The small veins that connect the dura mater and the arachnoid are torn, usually during an accident, and blood leaks into this area. An epidural hematoma may arise after an accident or spontaneously. Other medical conditions that affect the meninges include meningitis ( usually from fungal, bacterial, or viral infection ) and meningiomas that arise from the meninges, or from meningeal carcinomatoses ( tumors ) that form elsewhere in the body and metastasize to the meninges. Other animals In fish, there is a single membrane known as the primitive meninx. In other vertebrates -- amphibians, reptiles and birds, the meninges include a thick outer dura mater and a thick inner secondary meninx. In the early 1900s, Giuseppe Sterzi an Italian anatomist carried out comparative studies on the meninges from the lancelet to man. Contrary to previous reports the spinal meninges were seen to be very simple, both in the adult lower vertebrates and in the early developmental stages of the more advanced vertebrates. From the mesenchyme surrounding the neural tube only a single leaflet forms the primitive meninx. In the following phylogenetic and ontogenetic stages, the latter divides into an internal leaflet : the secondary meninx, and into an external one : the dura mater. Finally, in higher vertebrates, even the secondary meninx divides into the arachnoid and the pia. In the same animals, Sterzi demonstrated that, while in the spinal medulla the dura keeps its identity, in the skull it fuses with the periosteum. He also demonstrated the continuity of all meninges with the envelopes of nerves and with the filum terminale. Mammals ( as higher vertebrates ) retain the dura mater, and the secondary meninx divides into the arachnoid and pia mater. Additional images Illustration of the work by Antonio Pacchioni Disquisitio anatomicae de durae meningis... published in Acta Eruditorum, 1703 References Jump up ^ OED 2nd edition, 1989. Jump up ^ Entry `` meninges '' in Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary, retrieved 2012 - 07 - 28. Jump up ^ Entry `` meninx '' in Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary, retrieved 2012 - 07 - 28. Jump up ^ μῆνιγξ. Liddell, Henry George ; Scott, Robert ; A Greek -- English Lexicon at the Perseus Project. Jump up ^ `` Scalp Anatomy : Structure, Nerve Supply, Arterial Supply ''. 20 June 2017. Jump up ^ Entry `` pia mater '' in Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary, retrieved 2015 - 11 - 27. Jump up ^ `` leptomeninges - definition of leptomeninges in English Oxford Dictionaries ''. Oxford Dictionaries English. Jump up ^ Kumar, Vinay ( 2015 ). Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Mechanisms of Disease. Philadelphia : Elsevier Saunders. p. 1273. In acute meningitis, an exudate is evident within the leptomeninges over the surface of the brain ( Fig. 28 - 21 ). Jump up ^ Yamashima, Tetsumori ; Sakuda, Kazushige ; Tohma, Yasuo ; Yamashita, Junkoh ; Oda, Hiroshi ; Irikura, Daisuke ; Eguchi, Naomi ; Beuckmann, Carsten T. ; Kanaoka, Yoshihide ; Urade, Yoshihiro ; Hayaishi, Osamu ( 1 April 1997 ). `` Prostaglandin D Synthase ( β - Trace ) in Human Arachnoid and Meningioma Cells : Roles as a Cell Marker or in Cerebrospinal Fluid Absorption, Tumorigenesis, and Calcification Process ''. Journal of Neuroscience. pp. 2376 -- 2382. Retrieved 10 October 2017. Jump up ^ attribution, no. `` Prostaglandin D2 synthase ''. TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 10 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Overview of Adult Traumatic Brain Injuries '' ( PDF ). Orlando Regional Healthcare, Education and Development. 2004. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on February 27, 2008. Jump up ^ van Gijn J, Kerr RS, Rinkel GJ ( 2007 ). `` Subarachnoid haemorrhage ''. Lancet. 369 ( 9558 ) : 306 -- 18. doi : 10.1016 / S0140 - 6736 ( 07 ) 60153 - 6. PMID 17258671. Jump up ^ Kardong, Kenneth V. ( 1995 ). Vertebrates : Comparative Anatomy, Funuction, Evolution. Dubuque, Iowa : Wm. C. Brown Publishers. p. 539. ISBN 0 - 697 - 21991 - 7. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meninges. Nervous system Central nervous system Meninges Spinal cord Brain Rhombencephalon Medulla Pons Cerebellum Midbrain Forebrain Diencephalon Retina Optic nerve Cerebrum Limbic system Peripheral nervous system Somatic Sensory nerve Motor nerve Cranial nerve Spinal nerve Autonomic Sympathetic Parasympathetic Enteric Meninges of the brain and spinal cord Layers Dura mater Falx cerebri Tentorium cerebelli Falx cerebelli Diaphragma sellae Trigeminal cave Arachnoid mater Arachnoid granulation Arachnoid trabeculae Subarachnoid cisterns : Cisterna magna Pontine cistern Interpeduncular cistern Chiasmatic cistern Of lateral cerebral fossa Superior cistern Of lamina terminalis Pia mater Denticulate ligaments Tela choroidea Choroid plexus Perivascular space Combined Filum terminale Leptomeninges Spaces Epidural space Subdural space Subarachnoid space Cerebrospinal fluid The spinal cord General features Cervical enlargement Lumbar enlargement Conus medullaris Filum terminale Cauda equina Meninges Central canal Terminal ventricle Grey columns Posterior grey column Marginal nucleus Substantia gelatinosa of Rolando Nucleus proprius Rexed lamina V Rexed lamina VI Lateral grey column Intermediolateral nucleus Posterior thoracic nucleus Anterior grey column Interneuron Alpha motor neuron Onuf 's nucleus Gamma motor neuron Other Rexed laminae Central gelatinous substance Gray commissure White matter Sensory Posterior Posterior column - medial lemniscus pathway : Gracile Cuneate Lateral : Spinocerebellar dorsal ventral Spinothalamic lateral anterior Posterolateral Spinotectal Spinoreticular tract Spino - olivary tract Motor Lateral Corticospinal Lateral Extrapyramidal Rubrospinal Olivospinal Raphespinal Anterior Corticospinal Anterior Extrapyramidal Vestibulospinal Reticulospinal Tectospinal Both Anterior white commissure External features Ventral Anterior median fissure Anterolateral sulcus Dorsal Posterior median sulcus Posterolateral sulcus Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meninges&oldid=845373224 '' Categories : Back anatomy Human head and neck Meninges Hidden categories : Pages with unresolved properties Articles containing Ancient Greek - language text Articles needing additional references from June 2014 All articles needing additional references Articles containing Latin - language text Articles containing Greek - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia অসমীয়া Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Қазақша Latina Magyar Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Simple English Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย 粵語 中文 32 more Edit links This page was last edited on 11 June 2018, at 10 : 39 ( UTC ). 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Question: the central nervous system is enclosed by membranes of meninges called the
Answer: the dura mater