| Sulcus | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Blausen_0115_BrainStructures.png) Illustration depicting general brain structures including sulci | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Gyrus_sulcus-en.svg) Sulcus and gyrus | |
| Identifiers | |
| NeuroNames | 1208 |
| TA98 | A14.1.09.006 |
| TA2 | 5433 |
| FMA | 75759 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
In neuroanatomy, a sulcus (Latin: "furrow"; pl.: sulci) is a shallow depression or groove in the cerebral cortex. One or more sulci surround a gyrus (pl. gyri), a ridge on the surface of the cortex, creating the characteristic folded appearance of the brain in humans and most other mammals. The larger sulci are also called fissures. The cortex develops in the fetal stage of corticogenesis, preceding the cortical folding stage known as gyrification.
Mammals that have a folded cortex are known as gyrencephalic, and the small-brained mammals that have a smooth cortex, such as rats and mice are termed lissencephalic.