Brain gyri: the 9 main brain folds

These are the parts of the brain that fold in on themselves and perform specialized functions.

There are many folds in our brain, specifically in our cerebral cortex. The so-called cerebral gyri are, together with the accompanying furrows, one of the most striking things when we observe a brain from the outside, giving it a wrinkled appearance that nevertheless allows the brain matter to be a compact mass.

These gyri are not merely aesthetic: as the brain matter that they are, they participate in the various functions carried out by our cortex. In this article we will see what brain gyri are and we will review the characteristics of some of the best known.

What is a cerebral gyrus?

Let's start with a definition of what a cerebral gyrus is. We call cerebral gyri the set of set of visible folds in our cerebral cortex, generated as it folds back on itself as the brain developsgenerated by folding over itself as the brain develops and allowing the brain to be larger, making the space it occupies much smaller than would be expected if it had been extended.

Also called convolutions, the cerebral gyri would be the part of the fold that protrudes, being the parts that remain towards the interior the sulci. These structures are formed throughout the brain development of the fetus, not possessing them from the beginning. Gradually they will be observed more and more, until their presence can be observed throughout the entire cerebral cortex.

These are protrusions of brain matter, specifically of gray matter. This implies that the cerebral gyri are mainly formed by glial cells and neuron somas, which are the part of the neuron that emits the information that will later be sent through the axon to the next neuron or target organ.

Main cerebral gyri

Taking into account that they occupy the entire surface of the cerebral cortex, we must consider that there are a large number of cerebral gyri. Each one of them has different functions in the cerebral system.. Below we will discuss some of the most important and well known, although it should be noted that there are many more than those that will be presented in this article.

1. Precentral gyrus

Also called prerrolandic gyrus, this gyrus is located in front of the cisura de in front of the Rolando's fissure (i.e., it would be located more towards the face than this fissure). The brain matter that is part of it corresponds to the primary motor area.

2. Postcentral gyrus

Contrary to the precentral gyrus, the postcentral gyrus is located after or posterior to the Rolando's fissure. In this case, we would be dealing with a cerebral gyrus that would be part of the somatic cortex. would be part of the primary somatosensory cortex, linked to somatic perception.It is linked to somatic perception and body sensitivity.

3. Dentate gyrus

A gyrus present in the inferior part of the temporal lobe and forming part of the hippocampal formation, connecting it with the rest of the cortex. Specifically, it acts as a between the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus.. Its functions are linked to memory, spatial navigation and the integration of emotion into memories.

4. Cingulate gyrus

Like the previous one, this important cerebral gyrus has an important role in the integration and connection of the limbic system and the cerebral cortex. the integration and connection of the limbic system and the cerebral cortex.. Located near the corpus callosum, it is associated with the perception of anxiety, pleasure, fear, the initiation of goal-oriented behavior, voluntary movement, voice modulation or the direction of attention and motivation.

5. Angular gyrus

This is one of the best known brain gyri, especially for its involvement in language and mathematics. It contributes to enable the production and comprehension of meaningful sentences, as well as understanding written language. It is also involved in arithmetic capacity and the interpretation of quantities, as well as being linked to aspects such as the behavioral control, symbol coding and creativity..

6. Supramarginal gyrus

Present in the parietal lobe above the Sylvian fissure, this is another of the best known cerebral gyri. One of the functions for which it is best known is its involvement in enabling the ability to read and write. enabling the ability to read and write.It integrates information from the visual and auditory pathways. Working memory and tactile perception are also influenced by this gyrus.

7. Parahippocampal gyrus

With an important role in memory, the parahippocampal gyrus can be found around the hippocampus. The function most associated with this gyrus is that of storing and retrieving stored information..

8. Fusiform gyrus

The fusiform gyrus, which is located between the temporal and occipital gyri and which can be divided into two subgyri called the lateral and medial occipitotemporal gyrus, seems to be involved in aspects such as visual recognition of words and faces. visual recognition of words and facesIt is also associated with the processing of color information or the differentiation between memory and nonremembrance.

It is also associated with category identification, deduction and understanding of figurative language.

9. Lingual gyrus

This cerebral gyrus is located next to the parahippocampal gyrus and is in contact with the lateral and calcarine sulci, having a relevant role in the processing of visual information and the transformation of graphic information into auditory information. transformation of graphic information into auditory information in reading..

10. Other

As we have mentioned, those mentioned so far are only a few of the very diverse gyri present in the brain. In addition to the above we can find, among others, the following.

• Insular gyri: Long and Short.
• Occipital gyri.
• Superior frontal gyrus.
• Middle frontal gyrus.
• Inferior frontal gyrus.
• Superior temporal gyrus.
• Middle temporal gyrus.
• Inferior temporal gyrus.
• Supracallosal gyrus.
• Orbital gyrus.
• Triangular twist.
• Opercular twist.
• Straight twist.
• Olfactory gyrus.
• Precuneiform gyrus.
• Cuneiform gyrus.
• Paraterminal gyrus.