Corpus Callosum

The corpus callosum(CC) links the cerebral cortex of the left and right cerebral hemispheresand is the largest fibre pathway in thebrain. It is approximately 10cms in length and is shaped, like most of the supratentorial structures, in a gentle upwardly convex arch.

The postrior portion of the corpus callosum is called thesplenium; theanteriois called thegenu(or "knee"); between the two is the "body", of the corpus callosum.

genu : forceps minor : connect medial and lateral surfaces of the frontal lobes

rostrum : connecting the orbital surfaces of the frontal lobes

trunk (body) : pass through the corona radiata to the surfaces of the hemispheres

trunk and splenium : tapetum : extends along the lateral surface of the occipital
and temporal horns of the lateral ventricle

splenium : forceps major : connect the occipital lobes

|The corpus callosum is a large bundle of axons that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres.
The axons are |
|processes of pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortex, and they carry information, in the form of patterns of nerve |
|impulses, from cells of one hemisphere to cells in the contralateral hemisphere. The cell bodies of the axons in the |
|corpus callosum are found mostly in the second and third layers (the Outer Granular Layer and the Outer Pyramidal Layer, |
|respectively) of the cerebral cortex. Coordinated activity of the two hemispheres, and the unity of the brain itself, |
|depend on the adequate functioning of the axons in the corpus callosum. |
| |
|Connections between the right and left halves of the brain are called Commissural Connections. The corpus callosum is the |
|largest of the commissural connecting bundles. The axons in the corpus callosum are coated with myelin, a fatty substance
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|that covers large axons and speeds up conduction of the impulses.
This gives the corpus callosum a white appearance in |
|unstained sections, and in the cell-stained sections in this atlas. It forms part of the "white matter" of the brain. |
| |
|In the fiber-stained sections in this atlas, myelin is stained a blue-black color, so the corpus callosum appears black. |
| |
|About one-third of the information traveling to a cerebral hemisphere comes from the corpus callosum (that is to say, it |
|comes from the contralateral hemisphere). Correspondingly, about one-third of the information sent by the cortex of one |
|hemisphere is destined for the other hemisphere, through the corpus callosum. |
| |
|The lower parts of each hemisphere send some, most , or all of their commissural fibers through the Anterior Commissure
|
|rather than through the corpus callosum. |

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The corpus callosum is a band of nerve fibers located deep in the brain that connects the two halves (hemispheres) of the brain. It helps the hemispheres share information, but it also contributes to the spread of seizure impulses from one side of the brain to the other. A corpus callosotomy is an operation that severs (cuts) the corpus callosum, interrupting the spread of seizures from hemisphere to hemisphere. Seizures generally do not completely stop after this procedure (they continue on the side of the brain in which they originate). However, the seizures usually become less severe, as they cannot spread to the opposite side of the brain.

1 Who Is a Candidate for a Corpus Callosotomy?

A corpus callosotomy, sometimes called split-brain surgery, may be performed in people with the most extreme and uncontrollable forms of epilepsy, when frequent seizures affect both sides of the brain. A serious type of seizure -- called a drop attack -- often results in the person having sudden falls with a high risk of injury. In addition, people considered for corpus callosotomy do not experience improvement after receiving treatment with anti-seizure medications.

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0166432811003287

http://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-1997-6_90#page-1

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0741832909001827