Brodmann area 20, or BA20, is part of the
temporal cortex
Cortex or cortical may refer to:
Biology
* Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ
** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain''
*** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...
in the
human brain
The human brain is the central organ (anatomy), organ of the nervous system, and with the spinal cord, comprises the central nervous system. It consists of the cerebrum, the brainstem and the cerebellum. The brain controls most of the activi ...
. The region encompasses most of the ventral temporal cortex, a region believed to play a part in high-level visual processing and recognition memory.
This area is also known as inferior temporal area 20, and it refers to a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined temporal region of cerebral cortex. In the human it corresponds approximately to the inferior temporal gyrus. Cytoarchitecturally it is bounded medially by the
ectorhinal area 36
Brodmann area 35, together with Brodmann area 36, comprise the perirhinal cortex. They are cytoarchitecturally defined temporal regions of the cerebral cortex.
Human Brodmann area 35
This area is known as perirhinal area 35. It is a subdivisio ...
(H), laterally by the
middle temporal area 21, rostrally by the
temporopolar area 38 (H) and caudally by the
occipitotemporal area 37 (H) (Brodmann-1909).
Guenon
Brodmann area 20 is a subdivision of the cerebral cortex of the
guenon
The guenons (, ) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Cercopithecus'' (). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names; also, because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have co ...
defined on the basis of
cytoarchitecture
Cytoarchitecture (from Greek κύτος 'cell' and ἀρχιτεκτονική 'architecture'), also known as cytoarchitectonics, is the study of the cellular composition of the central nervous system's tissues under the microscope. Cytoarchit ...
. It is cytoarchitecturally
homologous to the inferior temporal area 20 of the human (Brodmann-1909). Distinctive features (Brodmann-1905): area 20 is similar to
area 19 of Brodmann-1909 in the relative abundance of small cell types relative to the number of larger
pyramidal cell
Pyramidal cells, or pyramidal neurons, are a type of multipolar neuron found in areas of the brain including the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. Pyramidal cells are the primary excitation units of the mammalian prefrontal cort ...
s; a very dense, wide internal
granular layer (IV) composed almost exclusively of
granule cell
The name granule cell has been used for a number of different types of neurons whose only common feature is that they all have very small cell bodies. Granule cells are found within the granular layer of the cerebellum, the dentate gyrus of t ...
s, as in
area 18 of Brodmann-1909; a broad, clear internal
pyramidal layer
The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. It is the largest site of neural integration in the central nervous system, and plays a key ...
(V) with few cells; and a distinct
multiform layer
The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammal ...
(VI). The major differences from areas 18 and 19 are somewhat lesser cell density; absence of a division of the external pyramidal layer (III) into sublayers 3a and 3b; layer V is more clearly distinguished from layer VI and, on average, has a greater density of pyramidal
ganglion cells
Introduction
In neurophysiology, a ganglion cell is a cell found in a ganglion (a cluster of neurons in the peripheral nervous system). Depending on their location and function, ganglion cells can be categorized into several major groups:
* ...
than in the other areas; layer VI is wider, more diffuse and has fewer cells that are concentrated in the outer part of the layer to produce a denser sublayer 6a and a less dense sublayer 6b.
See also
*
Brodmann area
A Brodmann area is a region of the cerebral cortex, in the human or other primate brain, defined by its cytoarchitecture, or histological structure and organization of cells. The concept was first introduced by the German anatomist Korbinian B ...
*
List of regions in the human brain
The human brain anatomical regions are ordered following standard neuroanatomy hierarchies. Functional, connective, and developmental regions are listed in parentheses where appropriate.
Hindbrain (rhombencephalon)
Myelencephalon
* M ...
External links
* For Neuroanatomy of the inferior temporal area 20 visi
BrainInfo* For Neuroanatomy of Brodmann area 20 visi
BrainInfo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodmann Area 20
20
Temporal lobe