Difference between Sulcus and Fissure

Fissures separate one lobe from another, while the sulcus is seen in a lobe delimiting gyri. Fissures form the deep furrows, while the sulci are shallow ones. The ridges between the sulci are referred to as gyri. The main fissures and sulci divide each of the hemispheres into four lobes – temporal, occipital, parietal and frontal lobes.

Sulcus and fissures mainly differ in the fact that the sulcus produces gyri on the cerebral cortex, while fissures divide the brain into lobes. The sulci and fissures are both grooves in the cortex. However, they are distinguished by their size. While the sulcus is a shallower groove surrounding the gyrus, fissures are larger furrows dividing the brain into lobes and also into two hemispheres as the longitudinal fissure.

Sulcus

• Sulcus is a groove or depression in the cerebral cortex surrounding the gyrus
• It generates a distinguishing folded look on the brain
• Typically, the larger sulci are referred to as fissures
• These ridges constitute the folded surface of the cerebral cortex

Fissure

• These are deeper grooves
• The cerebrum is segregated into right and left hemispheres by longitudinal fissures called by different names, such as medial longitudinal fissures, cerebral fissures, interhemispheric fissures, longitudinal fissures
• Each of the cerebral hemispheres splits into 4 different lobes by a central sulcus, lateral fissure and parieto-occipital sulcus

Key Difference between Sulcus and Fissure

The table below depicts the differences between Sulcus and Fissure.

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