Neuroscience for Kids - Brain Coverings

Coverings(Meninges) of the Brain

Thereare several layers of tissue that exist between your brain and theoutside world. First there is your skin (scalp). Then there is bone (your skull). After the skull, there are 3 special coverings, also called meninges. You may have heard of the illness called meningitis. Meningitis iscaused by an infection of the meninges.
The outer layer of the meninges is called the duramater or just the dura. The dura is tough and thick. The middlelayer is called the arachnoid. The inner layeris called the pia mater or just the pia.
The Coverings of the Brain

Here is an easy way to remember the order of the meninges:
"The meninges PAD the brain."
Pia; Arachnoid; Dura.

Did you know?
The word "arachnoid" comes from the Greek words"arachne" and "-oid" which mean "spider-like." The arachnoid was notdiscovered until 1664 by the Dutch anatomist Gerardus Blasius.
The word "Arachne" which means "spider" comes from Greek mythology.According to one myth, a girl named Arachne was an excellent weaver. Shechallenged the Greek goddess Athena to a weaving contest. When Arachnewove a beautiful, perfect tapestry, Athena broke Arachne's loom and turnedher into a spider.

See the Meningitis ResearchFoundation or the MeningitisFoundation of America for more information about Meningitis. Perhaps your questions about the meninges will beanswered here at Top 20 FrequentlyAsked about Meningitis.

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