Examples include:

• In the brain, where nerve fibers cross from one lateral part to the other.
• In phyllotaxis when an opposite pattern of leaves has successive leaf pairs that are perpendicular, it is called decussate.
• In tooth enamel, where bundles of rods (rods are the basic structural unit of enamel) cross each other as they travel from the enamel-dentine junction to the outer enamel surface (or near to it).

In the brain

• Decussation of the pyramids or motor decussation
• Sensory decussation
• Ventral supraoptic decussation

Here, a decussation refers to the crossing of millions of axons. To achieve this, there needs to be a tight control in order to have as few errors as possible. The advantage of having such a complicated system may be to compensate for the 180 degree inversion in visual perception through the eye. In addition, it may provide a more robust structure.

References