Calcarine sulcus

Calcarine Sulcus

The calcarine sulcus is a prominent anatomical feature of the human brain. It is a deep fissure located in the occipital lobe, the region of the brain responsible for processing visual information. The calcarine sulcus is of significant importance in the field of neuroscience due to its role in the visual system.

Anatomy

The calcarine sulcus begins near the occipital pole of the brain and runs forward to the splenium of the corpus callosum, a thick band of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. It forms the upper boundary of the lingual gyrus and the lower boundary of the cuneus, two structures involved in visual processing.

Function

The calcarine sulcus is the primary visual cortex, also known as Brodmann area 17. This area is the first to receive visual information relayed from the retina via the thalamus. The upper bank of the calcarine sulcus processes the lower half of the visual field, while the lower bank processes the upper half of the visual field.

Clinical significance

Damage to the calcarine sulcus can result in visual field defects, such as hemianopia, a condition characterized by loss of vision in half of the visual field. It can also lead to cortical blindness, a total loss of vision caused by damage to the visual cortex.

See also

• Visual cortex
• Occipital lobe
• Brodmann area 17