Corpus callosum

From Psy3241

The corpus callosum (Latin for “tough body”) is a broad, thick bundle of nerve fibers in the entire nervous system, running from side to side and consisting of millions and millions of nerve fibers. If we cut a brain in half down the middle, we would also cut through the fibers of the corpus callosum.

When looking at the middle side of one half of the brain, in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the corpus callosum looks like a section of a mushroom cap located at the center of the brain. Video of Corpus callosum

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Development

In a healthy infant’s brain, the corpus callosum develops between 12 to 16 weeks after conception. The fibers of the corpus callosum continue to become more and more effective into adolescence. By the time a child is around the age of 12 years, the corpus callosum functions will in adulthood, allowing rapid interaction between the two sides of the brain. From this age on the corpus callosum becomes increasingly functional in their typically developing children.

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Close-up Sagittal Section of Hemisphere

1.)Rostrum of corpus callosum 2.)Genu of corpus callosum 3.)Body of corpus callosum 4.)Splenium of corpus callosum 5.)Septum pellucidum 6.)Anterior commissure 7.)Fornix 8.)Hippocampus 9.)Cingulate gyrus 10.)Paraterminal gyrus

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References

The Anatomy Project, (2000). Close-up Sagittal Section of Hemisphere. Retrieved April 19, 2008, from Medical Gross Anatomy Web site: http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/atlas/n1a5p8.html

Hubel, D. H (2006). THE CORPUS CALLOSUM. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Eye, Brain, and Vision Web site: http://hubel.med.harvard.edu/b34.htm

NODCC, (2006). What is the Corpus Callosum? . Retrieved April 21, 2008, from National Organization for Disorders in the CorpusCallosum Web site: http://www.nodcc.org/what_is_the_corpus_callosum.php

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