Pyramidal cells are found in the gray matter of which brain region?

Pyramidal cells are found in the gray matter of which brain region?

• A. White matter of cerebrum
• B. Gray matter of cerebrum
• C. Gray matter of cerebellum
• D. White matter of cerebellum

Answer: (B)

Pyramidal cells are the principal excitatory neurons of the cerebral cortex, which is the gray matter forming the outer layer of the cerebrum. They have triangular bodies with long apical dendrites reaching toward the brain surface and axons that project to other cortical areas or subcortical targets. The cerebellum, by contrast, has Purkinje cells as its major output neurons in its gray matter, not pyramidal cells, and the white matter consists mainly of myelinated axons with few cell bodies. So, pyramidal cells are found in the gray matter of the cerebrum.

Pyramidal cells are the principal excitatory neurons of the cerebral cortex, which is the gray matter forming the outer layer of the cerebrum. They have triangular bodies with long apical dendrites reaching toward the brain surface and axons that project to other cortical areas or subcortical targets. The cerebellum, by contrast, has Purkinje cells as its major output neurons in its gray matter, not pyramidal cells, and the white matter consists mainly of myelinated axons with few cell bodies. So, pyramidal cells are found in the gray matter of the cerebrum.