cerebrum /ser″əbrəm, sərē″brəm/ pl. cerebrums, cerebra [L, brain] , the largest and uppermost section of the brain, divided by a longitudinal fissure into the left and right cerebral hemispheres. At the bottom of the groove, the hemispheres are connected by the corpus callosum. The internal structures of the hemispheres merge with those of the diencephalon and further communicate with the brainstem through the cerebral peduncles. The surface of the cerebrum is called gyri. Each lobe bears the name of the bone under which it lies. The cerebrum performs sensory functions, motor functions, and less easily defined integration functions associated with various mental activities. It generates a variety of electrical waves that may be recorded as an electroencephalogram to localize areas of brain dysfunction, to identify altered states of consciousness, or to establish brain death. See also cerebral cortex, cerebral hemisphere. −cerebral, adj.
