The anatomical descriptions and lesion-frequency percentages are preserved historical claims and have not received current medical review. The captured table does not identify the study population or citation for these percentages. They should not be interpreted as current prevalence estimates or individual predictions.
The Central Nervous System (CNS) is the collective name for the brain and the spinal cord. It contrasts with the Peripheral Nervous System which passes nerve signals between the CNS and rest of the body.
The CNS contains billions of nerve cells called neurons, which do all the processing and communication, and trillions of suport cells, called glial cells, which assist its functioning, repair damage and isolate it from the rest of the body. There are two different types of region in the CNS called grey matter and white matter. Grey matter is where all the processing is done and white matter is responsible for communicating between regions of grey matter and between the grey matter and the reset of the body.
In multiple sclerosis (MS), neurons get stripped of their insulating material (myelin) in patches of damage called lesions or plaques. These lesions predominantly affect the white matter (about 95%) but a few lesions are found in grey matter (about 5%).
Anatomical CNS Site | Function | % frequency of MS lesions |
|---|---|---|
Cerebral Cortex | Memory, perceptual awareness, "thinking", language and consciousness | 22.0 |
Subcortical White Matter | Communication between CNS areas | 45.8 |
Central White Matter | Communication between CNS areas | 86.3 |
Frontal Lobe | Reasoning, planning, parts of speech and movement (motor cortex), emotions, and problem-solving. | 45.8 |
Parietal Lobe | Perception of stimuli related to touch, pressure, temperature and pain. | 35.7 |
Occipital Lobe | Vision. | 10.1 |
Periventricular | The areas close to the ventricles | |
IIIrd | Communication between CNS areas | 11.1 |
IVth | Communication between CNS areas | 53.8 |
Lateral | Communication between CNS areas | 77.7 |
Corpus Callosum | Connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain | 55.6 |
Hippocampus | Memory | 21.6 |
Caudate Nucleus | Processing of somatosensory, auditory and visual information | 9.5 |
Thalamus | Processing of olfactory (taste and smell) information | 15.9 |
Putamen | Processing of somatosensory, auditory and visual information | 9.5 |
Globus Pallidus | Coordinating movement | 12.7 |
Internal Capsule | 25.4 | |
Fornix | Fibre tract that connects the parts of the brain involved emotional and other behaviours | 4.9 |
Hypothalamus | Brain structure that monitors internal body environment and attempts to maintain balance of these systems. Controls the pituitary gland. | 6.5 |
Insula/Claustrum | 15.4 | |
Tectum | 47.1 | |
Tegmentum | 47.1 | |
Periaqueductal | 55.9 | |
MidBrain | Nerve pathway of cerebral hemispheres. Coordination, Auditory and Visual reflex centres. Cranial nerves III and IV. | |
Red Nucleus | " | 29.4 |
Substantia Nigra | " | 29.4 |
Basis Pedunculi | " | 35.3 |
Pons | Respiratory centre, cranial nerves V, VI, VII and VIII. | |
Tegmentum | " | 53.8 |
Decussation | " | 53.8 |
Medulla | Crossing of motor tracts. Cardiac and respiratory centres, control of the blood vessel walls, centres for cough, gag, swallow, and vomit. Cranial Nerves IX, X, XI and XII. | |
Dorsal | " | 30.4 |
Reticular | " | 35.9 |
Olives | " | 23.9 |
Pyramids | " | 13.0 |
Cerebellum | Coordination and control of voluntary movement. | |
Brachium Pontis | " | 48.1 |
Inferior Cerebellar Peduncle | " | 34.5 |
Cortex | " | 1.0 |
Dentate Nucleus | " | 2.0 |
Digital White Matter | " | 7.8 |
Central White Matter | " | 30.4 |
Optic Nerve | Transmission of visual information from the eye to the brain | 55.0 |
Optic Chiasm | The area where visual information crosses to the opposite hemisphere | 35.0 |
Spinal Cord | Transmission of information between the central nervous system and the body | |
Lateral Column | " | 50.8 |
Ventral Column | " | 18.5 |
Grey Matter | " | 3.4 |
Cord Thoracic, post, column | " | |
Lateral Column | " | 27.1 |
Ventral Column | " | 10.2 |
Grey Matter | " | 3.4 |
Cord Lumbar, post, column | " | |
Lateral Column | " | 8.5 |
Ventral Column | " | 8.5 |
Grey Matter | " | 1.7 |
Central Nervous System Links:
Source details
Author: Paul Jones
Archive capture: . This is not a medical review date.