Commissure of fornix

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Brain: Commissure of fornix

Diagram of the fornix. (hippocampal commissure labeled at center left.) commissura fornicis, commissura Latin hippocampi subject #189 838 Gray's NeuroNames hier-255 NeuroLex ID birnlex_746 The lateral portions of the body of the fornix are joined by a thin triangular lamina, named the psalterium (lyra). This lamina contains some transverse fibers that connect the two hippocampi across the middle line and constitute the commissure of fornix (hippocampal commissure). The terminal lamina creates the commisure plate. This structure gives existence to the corpus callosum, the septum pellucidum, and the fornix. The latter splits into two columnae fornicis (anterior), and then splits into two crura fornicis (posterior). These two crura are joined together through the commissura hippocampalis. The beginning of the splitting is called the psalterium or Lyra Davidis. The latter name is used because the structure resembles a lyra (or triangular harp): The two crura are the "chassis" of the lyra, and the commisure connections are the fibers.

Habenular commissure
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Brain: Habenular commissure

Mesal aspect of a brain sectioned in the median sagittal plane. commissura habenularum Latin hier-282 NeuroNames birnlex_1609 NeuroLex ID The habenular commissure, is a brain commissure (a band of nerve fibers) situated in front of the pineal gland that connects the habenular nuclei on both sides of the diencephalon. The habenular commissure is part of the trigonum habenul (a small depressed triangular area situated in front of the superior colliculus and on the lateral aspect of the posterior part of the tnia thalami). The trigonum habenul also contains groups of nerve cells termed the ganglion habenul. Fibers enter the trigonum habenul from the stalk of the pineal gland, and the habenular commissure. Most of the trigonum habenul's fibers are, however, directed downward and form a bundle, the fasciculus retroflexus of Meynert, which passes medial to the red nucleus, and, after decussating with the corresponding fasciculus of the opposite side, ends in the interpeduncular nucleus.

Uncinate fasciculus
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Brain: Uncinate fasciculus

Diagram showing principal systems of association fibers in the cerebrum. (Uncinate fasc. visible at lower left.) Latin Gray's NeuroNames NeuroLex ID Fasciculus uncinatus subject #189 843 hier-1444 birnlex_983

The uncinate fasciculus is a white matter tract in the human brain that connects parts of the limbic system such as the hippocampus and amygdala in the temporal lobe with frontal ones such as the orbitofrontal cortex. Its function is unknown though it is affected in several psychiatric conditions. It is the last white matter tract to mature in the human brain.

Contents

1 Anatomy 2 Function 3 Development 4 Clinical significance 5 References 6 External links

Anatomy
The uncinate fasciculus is a hook-shaped bundle that links the forward portions of the temporal lobe with the inferior frontal gyrus and the lower surfaces of the frontal lobe. It does this by arising lateral to the amygdala and hippocampus in the temporal lobe curving in an upward pathway behind the external capsule inward of the insular cortex and continuing up into the posterior part of the orbital gyrus.[1] The average length of the uncinate fasciculus is 45 mm with a range 4049 mm. Its volume in adults is 1425.9138.6 mm3, being slightly larger in men, at 1504.3150.4, than women 1378.5107.4.[2]

It has three parts: a ventral or frontal extension, an intermediary segment called the isthmus or insular segment and a temporal or dorsal segment.[3]

Function
The function of the uncinate fasciculus is not known, though it is traditionally considered to be part of the limbic system.[2] The uncinate fasciculus on the left side shows greater fractional anisotropy (a measure of microstructural integrity) than on the right, and this has been argued to possibly link to the left hemispheric specialization for language.[4] However, the use of electrical brain stimulation upon it fails to disrupt language, suggesting it might not be involved in language, though it is possible that this disruption failed to happen because it was functionally compensated by alternative pathways.[5] The capacity for autonoetic self-awareness that is re-experiencing previous events as part of one's past as a continuous entity across time has been linked to the right uncinate fasciculus[6] as has proficiency in auditory-verbal memory and declarative memory to the integrity of the left uncinate fasciculus.[7]

Development
The uncinate fasciculus has the longest period of development in terms of fractional anisotropy as it alone amongst the major white fibre tracks continues to develop beyond the age of 30.[8] It seems to be developmentally vulnerable. In 12 year-old males that were preterm, abnormalities measured by fractional anisotropy in the left anterior uncinate correlated with verbal IQ, full-scale IQ, and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised scores.[9] In 10 yearold children who have suffered socioemotional deprivation, the left uncinate fasciculus shows reduced fractional anisotropy compared to that in other children, and this might underlie their cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioral difficulties.[10]

Clinical significance
Abnormalities within the fiber bundles of the uncinate fasciculus associate with social anxiety,[11] Alzheimer's disease,[12] bipolar disorder,[13] and depression in the elderly that had first had it in adolescence or early adulthood.[14] Such abnormalities also link to schizophrenia,[13][15][16] In those with schizotypal personality disorder, reduced fractional anisotropy in the right uncinate fasciculus associates personality traits and clinical symptoms of ideas of reference, suspiciousness, restricted affect, reduced extraversion and social anxiety, while those on the left side associate with general intelligence, verbal and visual memory, and executive performance.[17][18] The greater left than right fractional anisotropy of the uncinate fasciculus is missing in those with schizophrenia.[19]

In 2009 it was implicated in psychopathyindividuals with a high score in the Psychopathy Checklist Revised and an associated history of violent behavior appeared to have abnormalities in it.[20] Phineas Gage ( a railroad worker who had an iron bar go through his frontal lobe) had damage done to his uncinate fasciculus, as well as his Left and Right Prefrontal cortex. After the accident, his intellect was untouched, but his personality transformed. He lost all sense of morality and concern for others.

Cingulum (brain)
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Brain: Cingulum (brain)

Diagram showing principal systems of association fibers in the cerebrum. Cingulum is shown in red. subject #189 843 Gray's ancil-541 NeuroNames In neuroanatomy, the cingulum is a collection of white matter fibers projecting from the cingulate gyrus to the entorhinal cortex in the brain, allowing for communication between components of the limbic system. It forms the white matter core of the cingulate gyrus, following it from the subcallosal gyrus of the frontal lobe beneath the rostrum of corpus callosum to the parahippocampal gyrus and uncus of the temporal lobe.[1] Neurons of the cingulum receive afferent fibers from the parts of the thalamus that are associated with the spinothalamic tract. This, in addition to the fact that the cingulum is a central structure in learning to correct mistakes, indicates that the cingulum is involved in appraisal of pain and reinforcement of behavior that reduces it.[2] Cingulotomy, the surgical severing of the anterior cingulum, is a form of psychosurgery used to treat depression and OCD. The cingulum was one of the earliest identified brain structures.

Internal capsule
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Brain: Internal capsule

Horizontal section of right cerebral hemisphere. (Capsula interna labeled at upper left.)

The motor tract. Latin Gray's NeuroNames NeuroLex ID capsula interna subject #189 836 hier-180 birnlex_1659

The internal capsule is an area of white matter in the brain that separates the caudate nucleus and the thalamus from the putamen and the globus pallidus. The internal capsule contains both ascending and descending axons. It consists of axonal fibres that run between the cerebral cortex and the pyramids of the medulla.

Contents

1 Components 2 Fibers 3 Blood supply 4 Pathology 5 Additional images

6 References 7 External links

Components
The internal capsule is V-shaped when cut transversely (horizontally). When cut horizontally:

the bend in the V is called the genu the anterior limb or crus anterius is the part in front of the genu, between the head of the caudate nucleus and the lenticular nucleus the posterior limb or crus posterius is the part behind the genu, between the thalamus and lenticular nucleus the retrolenticular portion is caudal to the lenticular nucleus and carries optic tracts including the geniculocalcarine radiations. the sublenticular portion is beneath the lenticular nucleus and are tracts involved in the auditory pathway from medial geniculate nucleus to the primary auditory cortex (Brodmann Area 41)

Fibers
Working anterior to posterior:

The anterior limb of the internal capsule contains: 1) Frontopontine (corticofugal) fibers project from frontal cortex to pons; 2) Thalamocortical fibers (part of the thalamocortical radiations) connect the medial and anterior nuclei of the thalamus to the frontal lobes (these are severed during a prefrontal lobotomy).

The genu contains corticobulbar fibers, which run between the cortex and the brainstem. The posterior limb of the internal capsule contains corticospinal fibers, sensory fibers (including the medial lemniscus and the anterolateral system) from the body and a few corticobulbar fibers.

Other fibers within the internal capsule

The retrolenticular part contains fibers from the optic system, coming from the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus. More posteriorly, this becomes the optic radiation. Some fibers from the medial geniculate nucleus (which carry auditory information) also pass in the retrolenticular internal capsule, but most are in the sublenticular part. The sublenticular part contains fibers connecting with the temporal lobe. These include the auditory radiations and temporopontine fibers.

Blood supply
The superior parts of both the anterior and posterior limbs and the genu of the internal capsule are supplied by the lenticulostriate arteries, which are branches of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery. The inferior half of the anterior limb is supplied via the recurrent artery of Heubner, which is a branch of the anterior cerebral artery. The inferior half of the posterior limb is supplied by the anterior choroidal artery, which is a branch of the internal carotid artery. In summary, the blood supply of the internal capsule is Anterior limb: lenticulostriate branches of middle cerebral artery (superior half) & recurrent artery of Heubner off of the anterior cerebral artery (inferior half) Genu: lenticulostriate branches of middle cerebral artery Posterior limb: lenticulostriate branches of middle cerebral artery (superior half) & anterior choroidal artery off of the internal carotid artery (inferior half) As in many parts of the body, some degree of variation in the blood supply exists. For example, thalamoperforator arteries, which are branches of the basilar artery, occasionally supply the inferior half of the posterior limb.

Pathology
The lenticulostriate arteries supply a substantial amount of the internal capsule. These small vessels are particularly vulnerable to narrowing in the setting of chronic hypertension and can result in small, punctate infarctions or intraparenchymal haemorrhage due to vessel rupture. Lesions of the genu of the internal capsule affect fibers of the corticobulbar tract. The primary motor cortex sends its axons through the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Lesions, therefore, result in a contralateral hemiparesis or hemiplegia. While symptoms of weakness due to an isolated lesion of the posterior limb can initially be severe, recovery of motor function is sometimes possible due to spinal projections of premotor cortical regions that are contained more rostrally in the internal capsule.

Corona radiata
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Brain: Corona radiata

Dissection showing the course of the cerebrospinal fibers. Latin Gray's NeuroNames Corona radiata subject #189 837 ancil-542

For the structure in embryology, see Corona radiata (embryology) For the Nine Inch Nails song, see The Slip (album).

In neuroanatomy, the corona radiata is a white matter sheet that continues ventrally as the internal capsule and dorsally as the centrum semiovale. This sheet of axons contains both descending and ascending axons that carry nearly all of the neural traffic from and to the cerebral cortex. The corona radiata is associated with the corticospinal tract, the corticopontine tract, and the corticobulbar tract.

Contents

1 Functional Pathway 2 Motor Pathway 3 Speculative Analysis 4 Additional images 5 External links

Functional Pathway
Projection fibers are afferents carrying information to the cerebral cortex, and efferents carrying information away from it. The most prominent projection fibers are the corona radiata, which radiate out from the cortex and then come together in the brain stem. The projection fibers that make up the corona radiata also radiate out of the brain stem via the internal capsule. Cerebral white matter is commonly regarded today as an intricately organized system of fasciculi that facilitate the highest expression of cerebral activity. It is

increasingly apparent that disorders affecting the cerebral white matter, including ischemic leukoencephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, and progressive leukoencephalopathy have major effects on intellectual, social, and emotional functioning.

Motor Pathway
Evidence from subcortical small infarcts suggests that motor fibers are somatotopically arranged in the human corona radiata. Following subtotal brain damage, localization of the corticofugal projection in the corona radiata and internal capsule can assist in evaluating a patient's residual motor capacity and predicting their potential for functional restitution. Data suggests that the corona radiata and superior capsular lesions may correlate with more favorable levels of functional recovery. Lesions seated inferiorly are likely to correlate with poorer levels of recovery regarding upper limb movement. Findings also suggest that motor deficit severity is likely to increase as a lesion occupies progressively more posterior regions of the internal capsule.

Speculative Analysis
It appears that the white matter sheet of the corona radiata is one of the first cells to formulate in embryos, making this region more capable of functional motor recovery following damage. An intact corona radiata has been correlated with higher rates of fertility and increased math scores as well. The internal capsule is more closely associated with the brainstem and the central nervous system indicating that you would see less functional recovery from damage in that region when compared to the corona radiata, a region further from the brain stem more closely associated with complex cerebral activity deeper in the brain and more capable of restitution or cerebral reorganization.

Optic radiation
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Brain: Optic radiation

Colour-coded diagram showing radiations in quadrants from retinal disc through the brain Latin NeuroNames radiatio optica ancil-529

The optic radiation (also known as the geniculo-calcarine tract or as the geniculostriate pathway) is a collection of axons from relay neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus carrying visual information to the visual cortex (also called striate cortex) along the calcarine fissure. There is one such tract on each side of the brain.

Parts
A distinctive feature of the optic radiations is that they split into two parts on each side:
Source Path Information Damage

A lesion in the temporal lobe Fibers from the Carry that results in damage to must pass through the inferior retina (also information Meyer's loop causes a temporal lobe by looping called "Meyer's loop" from the characteristic loss of vision in a around the inferior horn or "Archambault's superior part of superior quadrant of the lateral ventricle. loop") the visual field (quadrantanopia or "pie in the sky" defect.) travel straight back through the parietal lobe Fibers from the to the occipital lobe in the superior retina (also retrolenticular limb of the called "Baum's loop") internal capsule to the visual cortex. Carry information Taking the shorter path, these from the inferior fibers are less susceptible to part of the visual damage. field

Right superior quadrantanopia. The areas of the visual field lost in each eye are shown as black areas. This visual field defect is characteristic of damage to Meyer's loop on the left side of the brain. Medical Definition of Tractus corticobulbaris

1. Collective term for those fibres (corticonuclear fibres) which separate from the corticospinal tract in the course of the latter's descent through the pons and medulla oblongata. Fibres of this tract innervate the motor nuclei of the trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossal nerves (perhaps also the nucleus ambiguus), directly and by way of interneurons in the lateral part of the rhombencephalic tegmentum. No direct supranuclear cortical innervation of the motor nuclei innervating the external eye muscles (oculomotor, trochlear, abducens) has been identified. Fibres of the corticobulbar tract also project into the formatio reticularis (i.e., corticoreticular fibres) and terminate upon sensory relay nuclei (e.g., gracile and cuneate nuclei, nucleus spinalis trigeminalis and nucleus solitarius). Synonym: tractus corticobulbaris. (05 Mar 200

Trapezoid body
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(December 2008)

Brain: Trapezoid body

Terminal nuclei of the cochlear nerve, with their upper connections. (Schematic.) The vestibular nerve with its terminal nuclei and their efferent fibers have been suppressed. On the other hand, in order not to obscure the trapezoid body, the efferent fibers of the terminal nuclei on the right side have been resected in a

considerable portion of their extent. The trapezoid body, therefore, shows only one-half of its fibers, viz., those that come from the left. 1. Vestibular nerve, divided at its entrance into the medulla oblongata. 2. Cochlear nerve. 3. Accessory nucleus of acoustic nerve. 4. Tuberculum acusticum. 5. Efferent fibers of accessory nucleus. 6. Efferent fibers of tuberculum acusticum, forming the striae medullares, with 6, their direct bundle going to the superior olivary nucleus of the same side; 6, their decussating bundles going to the superior olivary nucleus of the opposite side. 7. Superior olivary nucleus. 8. Trapezoid body. 9. Trapezoid nucleus. 10. Central acoustic tract (lateral lemniscus). 11. Raph. 12. Cerebrospinal fasciculus. 13. Fourth ventricle. 14. Inferior peduncle. Latin Gray's NeuroNames NeuroLex ID corpus trapezoideum subject #191 858 hier-589 birnlex_707

The trapezoid body is part of the auditory pathway. It is a bundle of fibers and cells in the pontine tegmentum. It consists of fibers arising from the ventral cochlear nucleus. A collection of nerve cells inside forms a trapezoid nucleus. The superior olivary nucleus is situated on the dorsal surface of the trapezoid body. Most nerve fibers pass directly from the superior olivary nuclei to the inferior colliculus. Axons leaving the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) form a broad pathway that crosses under the brain stem in the trapezoid body. A thin pathway, the intermediate acoustic stria, also leaves the VCN, merging with the trapezoid body close to the superior olivary complex, where many of its axons synapse. Axons leaving the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) form the dorsal acoustic stria, which reaches primarily the contralateral dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus and the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus.