The innermost meningeal layer that directly covers the brain is which meninges?

• A. Dura mater
• B. Arachnoid mater
• C. Pia mater
• D. Dural venous sinus

Answer: (C)

Pia mater is the innermost membrane directly covering the brain. It is a delicate, highly vascular layer that clings tightly to the brain’s surface, following every contour including the gyri and sulci. This close contact with neural tissue is why it’s described as directly covering the brain and why it houses tiny vessels supplying the brain.

Outside the pia lies the arachnoid mater, forming the subarachnoid space where cerebrospinal fluid flows and where some vessels traverse. Outside that, the dura mater is the tough, outer protective layer. The dural venous sinus is a venous channel within the dura, not a separate covering of the brain.