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The falx cerebri is a strong, crescent-shaped sheet of dura mater lying in the sagittal plane between the two cerebral hemispheres. [3] It is one of four dural partitions of the brain along with the falx cerebelli, tentorium cerebelli, and diaphragma sellae; it is formed through invagination of the dura mater into the longitudinal fissure between the cerebral hemispheres.
The larger arteries throughout the brain supply blood to smaller capillaries. These smallest of blood vessels in the brain, are lined with cells joined by tight junctions and so fluids do not seep in or leak out to the same degree as they do in other capillaries; this creates the blood–brain barrier. [44]
In the human brain, it is between 2 and 3-4 mm. thick, [8] and makes up 40% of the brain's mass. [2] 90% of the cerebral cortex is the six-layered neocortex whilst the other 10% is made up of the three/four-layered allocortex. [2] There are between 14 and 16 billion neurons in the cortex. [2]
The glia limitans also acts as a second line of defense against anything that passes the blood–brain barrier. However, because the astrocytes surrounding the vessels are connected by gap junctions, it is not considered part of the BBB and material can readily pass between the foot processes.
The cells of the neurovascular unit also make up the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which plays an important role in maintaining the microenvironment of the brain. [11] In addition to regulating the exit and entrance of blood, the blood–brain barrier also filters toxins that may cause inflammation, injury, and disease. [12]
The blood–brain barrier is formed by the brain capillary endothelium and excludes from the brain 100% of large-molecule neurotherapeutics and more than 98% of all small-molecule drugs. [28] Overcoming the difficulty of delivering therapeutic agents to specific regions of the brain presents a major challenge to treatment of most brain disorders.
[3] [1] [4] Blood to the claustrum is supplied by the middle cerebral artery. [1] It is considered to be the most densely connected structure in the brain, and thus hypothesized to allow for the integration of various cortical inputs such as vision, sound and touch, into one experience.
Grey matter, or gray matter in American English, is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and capillaries.