Subparietal sulcus
Sulcus subparietalis
A groove on the inner face of each hemisphere above the splenium, separating the precuneus from the posterior cingulate gyrus.
At a glance
- English
- Subparietal sulcus
- Latin (TA2)
- Sulcus subparietalis
- System
- Brain and spinal cord
- Region
- Head
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the subparietal sulcus
The subparietal sulcus, also called the suprasplenial sulcus, is a furrow on the inner face of the cerebral hemisphere in the parietal region. It lies above the back part of the corpus callosum, the splenium, and runs roughly horizontally from front to back. Above it is the precuneus; below it lies the hind part of the cingulate gyrus. The sulcus therefore forms the lower boundary of the precuneus.
It can be seen as the backward continuation of the cingulate sulcus. That sulcus runs over the corpus callosum and then sweeps upward as its marginal branch towards the top of the hemisphere; at about the point where it turns up, the subparietal sulcus carries on backward along the same line. It extends towards the calcarine and parieto-occipital sulci but usually does not quite reach them. Its shape is variable: it may be H-shaped, broken into pieces or joined to the cingulate sulcus by a bridge, and sometimes sends short branches up into the precuneus.
The cortex on its upper bank belongs to the precuneus and on its lower bank to the posterior cingulate cortex, two regions that together form the main posterior hub of the default mode network. Both are involved in memory recall, self-referential thought and visuospatial imagery, and the sulcus is one of the landmarks used to separate them on brain scans.
The posterior cingulate and precuneus regions around the sulcus show reduced metabolism early in Alzheimer's disease, so the sulcus is used as a guide when these areas are outlined for measurement. Below and behind it the isthmus of the cingulate gyrus narrows to join the parahippocampal gyrus.
Function and supply
- Function
- Marks the border between the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex, both part of the network for memory recall, self-reflection and spatial imagery.
- Blood supply
- Branches of the anterior cerebral artery (precuneal and posterior pericallosal) and of the posterior cerebral artery (parieto-occipital).
Anthromica
See the subparietal sulcus where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
