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Understanding Cerebrum Anatomy: Gyri and Sulci Explained

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The cerebrum is a complex part of the brain of which introductory A&P classes barely scratch the surface.  The cerebrum is characterized by the extensive gyri and sulci creating more surface area.  Gyri (singular gyrus) are hills and sulci (singular sulcus) are valleys.  

Histological slide of the cerebellum showing gray matter stained dark purple and white matter stained light pink, highlighting their structural differences.
Figure 1: Histological section of the cerebellum showing dark purple-stained gray matter, rich in neuron cell bodies, and light pink-stained white matter, composed of myelinated axons.

You can see the outline of the gyri and sulci along the edges of the tissues.  In this picture, the outer, gray matter actually takes up a darker stain than the inner white matter.  The other pictures in the media gallery below show a more common situation. They demonstrate staining between gray and white matter.

Histological slide of the cerebrum showing a distinct boundary between dark-stained gray matter on the left and lighter-stained white matter on the right.
Figure 3: Histological section of the cerebrum showing the boundary between dark-stained gray matter, rich in neuron cell bodies, and lighter-stained white matter, composed primarily of axons.
Histological slide of the cerebellum showing gray matter stained pink and white matter stained blue, highlighting their structural differences.
FIgure 2: Histological section of the cerebellum showing dark purple-stained gray matter, rich in neuron cell bodies, and light pink-stained white matter, composed of myelinated axons.

Figure 1: Cerebrum, H&E stain, 40X Slide 076a
Figure 2: Cerebrum, TB&E stain, 40X Slide 076b
Figure 3: Cerebrum, TB&E stain, 40X Slide 076b
All by University of Michigan Histology, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.

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