| Association fiber | |
|---|---|
 Diagram showing principal systems of association fibers in the cerebrum. | |
 Dissection of cerebral cortex and brainstem showing association fibers and insular cortex after removal of its superficial grey matter | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | fibrae associationis telencephali |
| TA98 | A14.1.00.016 A14.1.09.553 |
| TA2 | 5593 |
| FMA | 75241 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
Association fibers are axons (nerve fibers) that connect cortical areas within the same cerebral hemisphere.[1]
In human neuroanatomy, axons within the brain, can be categorized on the basis of their course and connections as association fibers, projection fibers, and commissural fibers.[1] Bundles of fibers are known as nerve tracts, and consist of association tracts, commissural tracts, and projection tracts.
The association fibers unite different parts of the same cerebral hemisphere, and are of two kinds: (1) short association fibers that connect adjacent gyri; (2) long association fibers that make connections between more distant parts.
Many of the short association fibers (also called arcuate or "U"-fibers) lie in the superficial white matter immediately beneath the gray matter of the cerebral cortex, and connect together adjacent gyri.[2] Some pass from one wall of the sulcus to the other.[3]
The long association fibers connect the more widely separated gyri and are grouped into bundles.[3] They include the following:
Diffusion tensor imaging is a non-invasive method to study the course of association fibers.
The nerve fibres which make up the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres are categorized on the basis of their course and connections. They are association fibres, which link different cortical areas in the same hemisphere; commissural fibres, which link corresponding cortical areas in the two hemispheres; or projection fibres, which connect the cerebral cortex with the corpus striatum, diencephalon, brain stem and the spinal cord.
Association fibres may be either short association (arcuate or 'U') fibres, which link adjacent gyri, or long association fibres, which connect more widely separated gyri. Short association fibres may be entirely intracortical. Many pass subcortically between adjacent gyri, some merely pass from one wall of a sulcus to the other. Long association fibres are grouped into bundles, ...
