Dorsal

"Dorsal" is an anatomical term of location derived from "dorsum", the Latin word for back. In the context of neuroscience and neuroanatomy, "dorsal" refers to the direction towards the back or top of the brain or spinal cord. The opposite of "dorsal" is "ventral".

In the cerebrum and cerebellum, "dorsal" typically refers to the direction toward the top of the brain. For the brainstem and spinal cord, "dorsal" usually refers to the direction toward the back. This terminology is used instead of posterior and superior, respectively, to avoid confusion due to the bend in the neural axis of bipedal organisms.

The dorsal side of the brain houses many important structures and pathways. For instance, the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), located in the frontal lobes, plays a key role in working memory and executive functions like decision making. In the spinal cord, the dorsal horn is critical for transmitting sensory information from peripheral nerves to the brain.

In contrast to "dorsal", "ventral" refers to the front or bottom of the brain or spinal cord.

The use of the terms "dorsal" and "ventral" may differ in animals with different body orientations. For example, in quadrupeds like dogs or rats, "dorsal" still refers to the back side, which, given their horizontal body orientation, would be what we consider the "top" and "ventral" would be the "bottom".