Postcentral Sulcus Of The Human Brain

Description

Postcentral sulcus (sulcus postcentralis) lies on the lateral convexity of the parietal lobe, immediately posterior to the central sulcus and the postcentral gyrus. From a lateral hemispheric perspective, the groove runs superior to inferior and is often separated into an upper and lower segment, with a short annectant gyrus bridging toward the postcentral gyrus between them. Superiorly it approaches the superomedial margin near the paracentral lobule, while inferiorly it trends toward the supramarginal region at the posterior end of the lateral sulcus. Two segments are common. Accurate localization of the postcentral sulcus matters because it brackets primary somatosensory cortex on the postcentral gyrus and provides a practical landmark when the central sulcus is ambiguous on surface inspection. In perirolandic stroke, focal cortical dysplasia, or tumor planning, neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists use the relationship between central sulcus, postcentral gyrus, and postcentral sulcus to estimate sensory strip boundaries and to avoid iatrogenic deficits during craniotomy over the parietal convexity. Segmental morphology is also clinically relevant, since variable sulcal interruption can mislead surface navigation and shift assumptions about the hand knob region and adjacent somatotopic representations. Use this illustration in neuroanatomy teaching on parietal lobe topography, in neuroradiology atlases that correlate gyral and sulcal landmarks with functional mapping, or in operative planning graphics for lesions near the postcentral gyrus and intraparietal region. It also suits exam items and review chapters that ask learners to distinguish the postcentral sulcus from the central sulcus and intraparietal sulcus on a fixed cortical surface view. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.