Meninges
soft, protective membranes covering the central nervous system
In anatomy, the meninges (; sing. meninx ; from Ancient Greek μῆνινξ (mêninx) 'membrane') are protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. In mammals, three meninges have been clearly identified: the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater. Each layer has its own molecularly distinct type of fibroblasts. The meninges act as a physical and immunological protective barrier for the brain and spinal cord, shielding the central nervous system (CNS) from injury. They anchor and support the tissues of the CNS, and provide containment for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the arteries and veins that supply blood to the brain and spinal cord.
The dura mater surrounds the arachnoid mater and supports the dural sinuses, which carry blood from the brain to the heart. The area between the arachnoid and pia mater is known as the subarachnoid space. It contains cerebrospinal fluid. The arachnoid and pia maters produce prostaglandin D2 synthase, a major cerebrospinal fluid protein.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q268930. The Library of Congress control number is sh85083559. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Meninges” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.