cisternal

Cisternal is an adjective derived from cisterna, meaning relating to a cistern or to cisternae in cells. The term cisterna originally denotes a tank or reservoir, from Latin cisterna.

In anatomy, cisternal describes spaces in the subarachnoid space known as cisterns, such as the cisterna magna and the interpeduncular cistern. These cisternal spaces act as reservoirs for cerebrospinal fluid and facilitate its circulation around the brain and brainstem.

In cell biology, cisternal refers to cisternae, the flattened membrane-bound sacs that constitute the Golgi apparatus and related organelles. The Golgi apparatus consists of a stack of cisternae, and proteins move from the cis face to the trans face through these sacs. The cisternal maturation model describes how cisternae themselves progress and mature as they carry cargo through the Golgi stack.

The term is used primarily in histology, anatomy, and cell biology to describe structural or relational features involving cisternae or cisternal spaces. While most common in scientific literature, it can appear in clinical or anatomical descriptions of brain fluid spaces as well as in descriptions of organelle architecture.