Medial

Medial is a term used in anatomy to refer to the middle or center. It is used to describe structures that are closer to the midline, or median plane of the body, which divides the body into left and right halves. The opposite of medial is lateral, which refers to structures that are further away from the midline.

Overview

In anatomical terminology, medial (from Latin medius, "middle") denotes a position or plane closer to the midline of the body or of a structure. For example, in a human, the nose is medial to the eyes and the thumb is medial to the little finger.

Usage in anatomy

Medial is used throughout anatomy to describe structures and their relative positions. For instance, the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee is closer to the midline of the body than the lateral collateral ligament (LCL). Similarly, the medial meniscus of the knee is closer to the midline than the lateral meniscus.

Usage in other fields

In addition to its use in anatomy, the term medial is also used in other fields of science and medicine. For example, in neuroscience, the medial part of the brain refers to structures closer to the midline, such as the medial prefrontal cortex.

See also

• Anatomical terms of location
• Anatomical terminology
• Lateral (anatomy)