occipital lobe
Acronym: OL
The term occipital lobe refers to one of six divisions of the cerebral cortex defined by dissection in the human ( Carpenter-1983 ) and the macaque ( Martin-2000 ). It is located at the back of the brain. Viewed from the side, it is separated from the parietal lobe dorsally and from the temporal lobe ventrally by an oblique plane through the parieto-occipital sulcus on the dorsal margin of the hemisphere and the preoccipital notch on the ventral margin. In some cases the lower part of the boundary is marked by a anterior occipital sulcus ( Duvernoy-1992 ).On the medial surface it is separated from the parietal lobe by the parieto-occipital sulcus and from the temporal lobe by the collateral sulcus. ( For an alternate definition adopted by some authors, see occipital lobe (Ono).
     Its gyral pattern in the human is perhaps the most variable of any of the six lobes. In most brains it contains five basic convolutions: the superior occipital gyrus, the middle occipital gyrus, the inferior occipital gyrus, the lingual gyrus, and the cuneus.
     The boundaries of the occipital lobe of the macaque are similar except that the rostral border as viewed from the side is well marked by the lunate sulcus of the human. The convolutions are similar except that the macaque has a single occipital gyrus where the human has superior and middle occipital gyri; and the macaque has a prominent annectant gyrus deep in an extension of the intraparietal sulcus into the occipital lobe.
     Equivalent structures are not found in the smooth cerebral cortex of the rat or mouse ( NeuroNames ).

Also known as: occipital cortex, occipital region, Lobus occipitalisNeuroNames ID : 140


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