commissure
/ˈkɒmɪsjʊə
/noun Anatomy
1The joint between two bones.Opposing this hinge axis is the ventral commissure....
- Maximum width at hinge line, with lateral commissures almost perpendicular.
- One of the planes of fracture, however, provides a cross section perpendicular to the hinge line and plane of commissure that passes through both ligament areas.
2A band of nerve tissue connecting the hemispheres of the brain, the two sides of the spinal cord, etc.The latter intersects various projection and commissural fibers, including those crossing to the opposite hemisphere in the anterior commissure....
- Portions of the cerebral commissures, which link the left and right hemispheres, appear to be larger in women, and their brains may function in a less lopsided manner than men's.
- The lateral part of the anterior commissure traverses the inferior part of the brain.
3The line where the upper and lower lips or eyelids meet.The scratch is minor, but right above the lateral commissure.
Derivatives
commissural
/ adjective ...- In the spinal cord, commissural neurons, whose axons cross the midline and link the two sides of the cord, develop in the dorsal region.
- The latter intersects various projection and commissural fibers, including those crossing to the opposite hemisphere in the anterior commissure.
- An examination of the line revealed defects in a commissural pathway of neurons.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin commissura 'junction', from committere 'join' (see commit).