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Sulci are creases or fissures found throughout the body, but most recognizable in the brain. They increase surface area and functional capacity, and their pattern is unique to each brain. They are used as landmarks to identify specific regions of interest in the brain. Brain research has allowed people to identify activity in various regions of the brain, providing insight into how the brain works and what happens when areas are damaged.
In anatomy, a sulcus is a crease, fissure, or crack. These structures can be found throughout the body, serving a number of different functions, but the most recognizable grooves are found in the brain. They make up the distinctive pattern of folds in the brain that increase its surface area, along with the gyri, the ridges in the brain. Many animals have ridged brains with a groove-and-turn pattern, which allows their heads to remain relatively small while their brains expand surface area and functional capacity.
The pattern of sulci on each brain is slightly different. Several large sulci tend to be fairly consistent across all members of a species, and can be named and used by brain-examiners to orient themselves. In humans, for example, the lateral sulcus divides the frontal and parietal lobes from the temporal lobe, while the central sulcus runs between the parietal and frontal lobes. These grooves in the brain are used as landmarks to help people identify specific regions of interest in the brain.
Within a sulcus, brain cells are packed tightly together along the sides of the sulcus. The cerebral cortex, wrapping around the surface of the brain, follows the gyrus and sulci, with about two-thirds of the cerebral cortex in humans lying between the folds of the brain. Brain cells are involved in interpreting touch and other sensory input, and the expanded surface area created by the folds allows an animal to have a larger cerebral cortex than it otherwise would have. Animals with folded brains tend to be more advanced than those with flat or relatively unwrinkled brains.
Anatomists have been interested in the distinctive pattern of folds in the brain for centuries. Early anatomists drew the results of autopsies and brain examinations, and a number identified specific recurring anatomical features in the brain, naming them for reference. As understanding of brain function has improved, the nomenclature surrounding the various structures has also become more precise and detailed.
Brain research has allowed people to identify activity in various regions of the brain. This provides insight into how the brain works under normal conditions and what happens when areas of the brain are damaged. Sometimes it’s possible that the brain essentially rewires itself to compensate for damaged areas, while in other cases, cognitive function can be permanently impaired by strokes, concussions, and other injuries to the brain.
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