Molecular layer
Molecular Layer
The Molecular Layer (pronunciation: mo-le-cu-lar lay-er) is a term used in neuroscience to describe a specific layer of the cerebellum or the hippocampus in the brain.
Etymology
The term "Molecular Layer" is derived from the Latin words 'molecula' meaning 'small mass' and 'layer' meaning 'a sheet, quantity, or thickness of material, typically one of several, covering a surface or body'.
Definition
The Molecular Layer is the outermost layer of the cerebellar cortex. It contains few neurons, mainly Golgi cells and stellate cells, and is primarily composed of the dendritic trees of Purkinje cells and parallel fibers of granule cells. In the hippocampus, the Molecular Layer is the layer that receives input from the entorhinal cortex via the perforant path.
Related Terms
- Cerebellum: The part of the brain at the back of the skull in vertebrates, which coordinates and regulates muscular activity.
- Hippocampus: A small organ located within the brain's medial temporal lobe and forms an important part of the limbic system, the region that regulates emotions.
- Golgi cells: A type of interneuron found within the granular layer of the cerebellum that synapses onto the dendrites of granule cells and unipolar brush cells.
- Stellate cells: Interneurons found in the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex.
- Purkinje cells: A class of GABAergic neurons located in the cerebellum.
- Granule cells: The most abundant type of neuron in the entire brain.
- Entorhinal cortex: An area of the brain located in the medial temporal lobe and functions as a hub in a widespread network for memory, navigation and the perception of time.
- Perforant path: The pathway through which the entorhinal cortex communicates with the hippocampus.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Molecular layer
- Wikipedia's article - Molecular layer
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