The meninges are three membranes that wrap and protect the brain and spinal cord: the tough outer dura mater, the delicate middle arachnoid mater and the thin inner pia mater, which clings to the surface of the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid circulates between the arachnoid and pia in the subarachnoid space.
| Location | Surrounding the entire brain inside the skull and the spinal cord inside the vertebral canal, continuous through the foramen magnum |
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| Connections |
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| Blood Supply | Middle meningeal artery; Anterior and posterior meningeal arteries; Meningeal branches of the vertebral and occipital arteries; Spinal radicular arteries (spinal meninges) |
Protect and support the brain and spinal cord, contain the cerebrospinal fluid, carry blood vessels and form the venous sinuses that drain the brain.
Inflammation of the meninges (meningitis) causes headache, neck stiffness, fever and sensitivity to light. Meningiomas, the most common primary intracranial tumour, arise from arachnoid cap cells. Bleeding can occur in the spaces around the meninges: extradural, subdural or subarachnoid, each with a typical cause and imaging pattern.
Infection or inflammation of the meninges causing headache, fever, neck stiffness and confusion, which can be life-threatening when bacterial.
A usually benign, slow-growing tumour arising from the meninges that causes symptoms by compressing nearby brain or nerves.
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