How many convolutions does a person have in his head?

What are convolutions

The brain is the most complex organ of our body. It is he who directs all processes in our body, thanks to him we recognize ourselves as individuals. The brain is one of the least studied organs of the human body. This is due to its complex structure and the individual characteristics of each individual person.

The surface of the brain is called the cerebral cortex, it is covered with grooves and convolutions. Consists of more than 100 billion nerve cells - neurons. Convolutions and grooves in humans are formed during the period of intrauterine embryonic development, their number does not change with age. They are needed so that the embryo's brain can fit into a small skull. A large skull in a baby can cause problems during childbirth.

At birth, the weight of the human brain is 300 grams, and the weight of an adult is about 1500 g. The area of the adult brain is approximately 2200 cm2, and if not for its special folded structure, it simply would not fit into the narrow cranium.

During an external examination, it is impossible to see the entire area of the cerebral cortex, because two-thirds is located deep in the grooves, and only a third is on the outer side of the hemispheres.

Anatomical structure of the lobes of the brain

In the structure of any organ of the human body that has undergone development in evolutionary dynamics, one can trace the expediency of nature, which provided and transformed some organs.

The furrows and convolutions of the hemispheres are present in the structure of the human brain and in the brain structures of some mammals. Their formation was dictated by the need to fit a large surface under the cranial vault, which practically did not change in size.

The transition of humans to upright walking and its development led to the need to form a larger volume of brain structures.

But an increase in the bony protective arch would lead to disproportion, weighting, due to which the head could not be at the top of the body.

And there was an objective need for this, since it is in it that the main catchers and analyzers of information coming from outside are located.

Thanks only to the incoming significant volume of information flow, a person would not be able to achieve his current, dominant and exceptional position - the surrounding reality required the formation of sensations, practical experience, the ability to analyze and compare already accumulated knowledge and relate it to a new or similar situation.

Speech appeared thanks to the accumulation of gnosis and praxis, and its formation led to abstract thinking - this ability, the performance of complex movements and their chains, higher mental functions, all this is the result of transformations that nature has made, increasing the surface area by forming folds and depressions and accommodating a large volume in a limited space.

65-70% of the cortex is located in the newly formed grooves; if not for the packaging carried out by nature in a similar way, a person would have at his disposal only a third of the existing volume, which is located on the surface of both hemispheres.

Studies have shown that the pattern of gyri and sulcus varies from person to person. All people and some animals have deep and large folds. The answer to the question - how many convolutions a person has in the brain - will not be exact, the number is variable, the formation of new ones or the absence of familiar ones is so varied that there are special atlases that contain examples of the individual structure of the telencephalon.

Unity of opposites

The main differences between the sulcus and the gyrus are not so much in the functions performed, but in the location of these formations relative to each other. But they are inextricably linked because they are formed at the gyrification stage during intrauterine development from the frontal (or primary anterior) medullary vesicle.

Gyri are elevations above the surface of the brain, while sulci are localized in the intergyral space and delimit these projections. The undoubted connecting role of white matter with its specific component - a bundle of axons (conductors of nerve impulses) covered with special myelin.

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Telencephalon is a formation of several important structures:

two cerebral hemispheres;
the cortex densely and securely covering them (a thin layer of gray brain matter, reaching a maximum of several mm);
a specific plexus of neurons - the corpus callosum, unique to mammals;
whimsically assembled from gray and white stripes of the corresponding brain substances of the striatum, an integral part of the system of the basal ganglia of the cerebral hemispheres;
the olfactory brain with its complex structure, division into periphery and center.

The differentiation of GM grooves by type, embryogenesis and functionality implies differentiation into primary, secondary and tertiary. The latter are not taken into account when studying the anatomical structure, since they are deeply individual for each person. They are quite small and have no names.

Toponyms and eponyms are found only in the primary and secondary grooves, but the primary ones differ not only in location (they are present both inside the lobes and as an interlobar unifying and delimiting depression).

Types and location

Primary grooves are the main and delimiting grooves located between the two hemispheres or main parts of the brain.

Their formation occurs as early as the 10th week of gestation; it is embedded in the program according to which the brain vesicles work:

The Sylvian fissure, which separates the temporal from the frontal and parietal, is now more often called the lateral fissure; together with the central and parieto-occipital fissure, they delimit the superolateral surface into lobes.
The frontal lobe is located in front of the central lobe, and the parietal lobe is behind it; it separates them from each other, just like the central lobe. It initially received an eponymous name, you can find the term “Rolandova”.
The cingulate serves as a boundary for all the main segments localized in the olfactory brain.
The parieto-occipital divides those lobes from whose names its own lobe is derived (parietal and occipital).

The medial surface is simply dotted with deep permanent grooves - here are the hippocampal, cingulate, collateral, geographically close to the occipital lobe, and not far from it - the calcarine. But the first one that anatomists remember when mentioning the medial surface is the groove of the corpus callosum, because between it and the cingulate, which forms the branches, the cingulate gyrus is located. Although the hippocampal and collateral are also a kind of boundary for the gyrus of the temporal cortex.

A little about convolutions

The lower surface of the cortex contains the olfactory, orbital, rectus and inferior temporal sulci. They are part of different sections, because the lower surface belongs to the temporal, frontal and occipital lobes.

In this brain segment there is only one gyrus that deserves attention - the lingual (in another transcription - lingual, gyrus lingualis), which is separated by the calcarine and collateral sulci.

The presence of grooves is invariably associated with the presence of convolutions formed by the transformation of brain tissue to save space:

The frontal lobe has as many as 6 convolutions, four of them are on the outer surface, and two are on the inner surface. This amount is easily explained by the size of the LD, which occupies more than a quarter of the entire human brain. The straight and orbital gyri are internal formations, and the vertical precentral, superior, inferior and middle gyri are external. The precentral (in other sources - precentral) is formed by the sulcus of the same name and the central one, the place of dislocation of the middle one is, naturally, between the upper and lower frontal sulcus, the lower one is located between the corresponding frontal and Sylvian. The posterior third of the middle frontal gyrus contains the writing center, and the inferior frontal gyrus contains the motor center.
The boundaries of the parietal region are Rolandova (from the frontal), Silvius (at the temporal), and parieto-occipital. It contains the postcentral, limited by the fissure of the same name and the central, angular, near the superior temporal sulcus, two horizontally located lobules (inferior and superior parietal), and supramarginal, next to the Sylvian fissure.
On the basal surface of the temporal lobe there are only two, but very important, convolutions: the hippocampus and the lateral occipitotemporal. The dislocation in the internal space of the occipital lobe of 2 formations: the gyrus lingualis and the parieto-occipital gyrus, is due to the presence of the calcarine groove, which separates them from each other.

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The cerebral convolutions and cerebral sulci are difficult to consider separately. Their deep and lasting connections are due to centuries-old changes and transformations. Nature worked, creating the basic architectonics of the most important structural formation, adjusting its constituent elements as closely as possible to existing needs.

We can consider them not as separate parts, but as part of a single whole, peculiar keys that the central nervous system presses if a person changes his type of activity, performs some actions, starts, finishes or continues what he has learned in the process of long-term improvement .

How many convolutions does a person have?

No animal has as many convolutions as humans. Their number is influenced by two variables: the area of the cerebral cortex and its thickness.

It is impossible to count exactly how many there are. This happens due to the individual differences of all people. Some convolutions may be too small or almost invisible, and they are located differently in different males and females. Sometimes they are able to slightly change their size during life, so it is impossible to say how many convolutions a person has.

What determines the number of convolutions and is it possible to count them?

According to the latest data obtained in the course of research by Brazilian scientists, the number of convolutions in a person depends on two main variables: the area of the cortex and its thickness. This discovery fits organically into the general theory, because a large area is more difficult to locate in the cranium, and it is also more difficult to form folds in a thick layer of gray matter.

Interestingly, the folds inherent in the human brain are almost not observed in other mammals. The exception is the whale, pig, dog, cat and some primates. A dolphin, for example, has significantly more convolutions than a human.

However, for a person we can name the main convolutions present in the head of everyone:

toothed;
tape;
occipitotemporal;
lingual;
parahippocampal;
straight;
hook of the brain.

Well, the total number is not at all impressive, but we can say with confidence how many convolutions in the human brain are guaranteed to end up in the same place in anyone’s head.

Does their number affect intelligence?

As a result of the research (when some scientists bequeathed their brains to their colleagues for the sake of science for comparison with the brain of an ordinary person), no special physiological differences were discovered. Human convolutions are formed during intrauterine development and the level of intelligence is not able to influence the increase in their number during a person’s life.

Does not affect intelligence or brain weight. Weight primarily depends on a person’s height and build. Thus, based on how many convolutions a person has in his brain, it is impossible to draw a conclusion about his intelligence.

Who has more convolutions: men or women?

It has long been known that a man's brain weighs more than a woman's. There are many jokes and prejudices in this regard. However, scientists have found that, despite being lighter, a woman's brain has more convolutions, essentially compensating for her lower weight. The volume of a woman's brain is smaller than that of a man, but in terms of area, thanks to the greater number of convolutions, it is the same.

It should be noted that the stronger sex has twenty percent less gray matter than the weaker sex. In men, neurons are located further apart. For this reason, the difference in the volumes of the craniums is compensated. However, despite the greater number of convolutions in the head of women, both sexes do not differ from each other in mental development.

Thus, intelligence does not depend on how many convolutions a person has. Despite the greater number of them in the minds of women, ladies are not mentally superior to men. It is simply impossible to know the exact number. Yes, this information does not make sense, because each of us is individual, and, therefore, there is no consensus on this issue. However, it is known that we do not use our brain to its full capacity. Consequently, how many convolutions a person has in his head will not matter.