Which statement correctly lists the meninges from outermost to innermost and the spaces between them?

Which statement correctly lists the meninges from outermost to innermost and the spaces between them?

• A. Dura mater, pia mater, arachnoid mater; epidural, subdural, subarachnoid.
• B. Dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater; epidural, subdural, subarachnoid.
• C. Arachnoid mater, dura mater, pia mater; subdural, subarachnoid, epidural.
• D. Pia mater, arachnoid mater, dura mater; subdural, epidural, subarachnoid.

Answer: (B)

Think of the brain’s protective coverings from outside to inside: the dura mater is the tough outer layer, then the arachnoid, and the innermost is the pia mater. The spaces between them, from outside inward, are the epidural space (between skull and dura), the subdural space (between dura and arachnoid), and the subarachnoid space (between arachnoid and pia) where CSF flows. So the correct sequence is dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater, with epidural, subdural, subarachnoid as the spaces in that order.

Think of the brain’s protective coverings from outside to inside: the dura mater is the tough outer layer, then the arachnoid, and the innermost is the pia mater. The spaces between them, from outside inward, are the epidural space (between skull and dura), the subdural space (between dura and arachnoid), and the subarachnoid space (between arachnoid and pia) where CSF flows. So the correct sequence is dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater, with epidural, subdural, subarachnoid as the spaces in that order.