• 17 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Brain Histology Labeled: Layers of the Cortex

Tap any layer or cell of brain tissue to read about it.

Brain Histology Labeled: Layers of the Cortex

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Pia mater
  2. Molecular layer (layer I)
  3. External granular layer (layer II)
  4. External pyramidal layer (layer III)
  5. Internal granular layer (layer IV)
  6. Internal pyramidal layer (layer V)
  7. Multiform layer (layer VI)
  8. White matter
  9. Pyramidal cell
  10. Apical dendrite
  11. Cerebellar molecular layer
  12. Purkinje cell layer
  13. Granular layer
  14. Purkinje cell
  15. Dendritic tree
  16. Granule cell
  17. Axon of the Purkinje cell

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: one nerve cell, part by part

All 17 parts on the diagram

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Cerebral cortex 10

  1. Pia mater The thin membrane that lies on the surface of the cortex.
  2. Molecular layer (layer I) The outermost layer of the cortex, with very few nerve cell bodies.
  3. External granular layer (layer II) A band of small, crowded cells, mostly stellate cells.
  4. External pyramidal layer (layer III) A band of mostly small and medium pyramidal cells.
  5. Internal granular layer (layer IV) A band of mostly small stellate cells. Fibers from the thalamus end here.
  6. Internal pyramidal layer (layer V) The band with the largest pyramidal cells. Its fibers leave the cortex.
  7. Multiform layer (layer VI) The cortex's deepest layer, with many spindle-shaped cells.
  8. White matter The fibers under the cortex. Axons from the cortex run in it.
  9. Pyramidal cell A nerve cell with a pyramid-shaped body. It is the main output cell of the cortex.
  10. Apical dendrite The long dendrite that rises from the tip of the cell. It ends by branching in the molecular layer.

Cerebellar cortex 7

  1. Cerebellar molecular layer The outer layer of the cerebellar cortex. It holds the dendrites of the Purkinje cells.
  2. Purkinje cell layer A single row of large Purkinje cell bodies.
  3. Granular layer The inner layer of the cerebellar cortex, packed with small granule cells.
  4. Purkinje cell A large nerve cell with a flask-shaped body. It lies in the cerebellar cortex.
  5. Dendritic tree The fan of branches of a Purkinje cell. It spreads flat in the molecular layer.
  6. Granule cell A small nerve cell of the granular layer. Its axon rises into the molecular layer.
  7. Axon of the Purkinje cell The single fiber that leaves a Purkinje cell. It runs down through the granular layer.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 in at least two of these. (1) Wikipedia, English edition, Cerebral cortex (Layers), Cerebellum (Microanatomy), Pyramidal cell and Purkinje cell, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex. (2) Kenhub, Cerebral cortex cytoarchitecture and layers, and Histology of the cerebellum, https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/cortical-cytoarchitecture. (3) Neuroscience Online, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Section 3, Chapter 5, Cerebellum, https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s3/chapter05.html. (4) Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body (1918), The Fore-brain or Prosencephalon (structure of the cerebral cortex), https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/4c-the-fore-brain-or-prosencephalon/. Detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Two drawings show brain tissue histology labeled layer by layer: a strip of cerebral cortex from the pia mater down to the white matter, and a strip of cerebellar cortex. They are drawings of what a slide shows, not photographs.

Read the full guide

Read each strip from the top down

In the cerebral cortex, number 1 is the pia mater and 2 to 7 are the six layers: molecular, external granular, external pyramidal, internal granular, internal pyramidal and multiform. Number 8 is the white matter, 9 a pyramidal cell and 10 its apical dendrite. In the cerebellar cortex, 11 to 13 are the molecular layer, the Purkinje cell layer and the granular layer. Number 14 is a Purkinje cell, 15 its dendritic tree, 16 a granule cell and 17 the axon of the Purkinje cell.

  • In the cerebral cortex the names alternate going down: granular, pyramidal, granular, pyramidal. External comes before internal.
  • The Purkinje cell layer is one cell thick, so look for the single row of large bodies.

Questions and answers

What are the six layers of the cerebral cortex?

From the surface down: the molecular layer (I), the external granular layer (II), the external pyramidal layer (III), the internal granular layer (IV), the internal pyramidal layer (V) and the multiform layer (VI). White matter lies under layer VI.

What are the three layers of the cerebellar cortex?

The molecular layer on the outside, the Purkinje cell layer in the middle and the granular layer inside. The middle layer is a single row of large Purkinje cell bodies; the granular layer is packed with small granule cells.

What does a pyramidal cell look like?

Its cell body is shaped like a pyramid. One apical dendrite rises from the tip toward the surface of the cortex, and several basal dendrites spread from the base. The largest pyramidal cells lie in layer V.

Where are Purkinje cells found?

In the cortex of the cerebellum. Their flask-shaped bodies form one row, their dendrites fan out in the molecular layer above, and each sends a single axon down through the granular layer.

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