NEUROANATOMY Diencephalon

Diencephalon
 Site: It is the part of the brain which:
 Lies between the lower parts of the 2 cerebral hemispheres.
 Lies above the midbrain.
 Surrounds the 3rd ventricle.

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 Subdivisions: 5 parts:
1) Thalamus:
• It is the secretory of the cerebral cortex; all ascending
sensory impulses (except smell) have to stop and synapse
(i.e. it is the third order neuron) first in the thalamus or
metathalamus before reaching the cerebral cortex.
2) Metathalamus: Is formed of the lateral and medial
geniculate bodies which are attached to the lower surface of
the posterior end of the thalamus.
3) Subthalamus: Is the part above the midbrain, below
thalamus and lateral to hypothalamus.
4) Hypothalamus: Lies below and in front of the thalamus.
5) Epithalamus:
• It is the posterior segment of the diencephalon, medial and
behind to the posterior end of thalamus, in the posterior wall of
the 3rd. ventricle.

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The Thalamus
 It the largest part of diencephalon which formed of a large oval
mass of gray matter (4 cm long).
 Site: It is situated on both sides of 3rd. ventricle, immediately above
the subthalamus which separates it from the midbrain.

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 Shape and relations: It is oval in shape having:

1-Anterior end: is narrow and rounded and forms the posterior
boundary of the interventricular foramen.
2-Posterior end: is expanded & called the pulvinar which
overhangs the medial and lateral geniculate bodies.

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3-Upper surface: Which can be divided into:

 Medial extra-ventricular part: covered by the edge tela
choroidea of the 3rd ventricle and the body of the fornix.
 Lateral intraventricular part: lies in the floor of the body
of lateral ventricle, covered by ependyma and partly hidden
by the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricle.

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4- Lower surface:
• It is related to hypothalamic sulcus which extends from the
interventricular foramen to the cerebral aqueduct.
• is divided into 3 parts:
 The anterior part: is related to the hypothalamus
 The middle part is related the hypothalamus (medial) and
subthalamus (lateral).
 The posterior part is formed by the metathalamus (medial
and lateral geniculate bodies).
5-Medial surface: forms the lateral wall of the 3rd ventricle,
thus covered by epyndyma, and is connected to its fellow by
gray matter (not nerve fibers) called the inter-thalamic
adhesion.
6--Lateral surface: Which is related:
 Above: to the body of caudate nucleus separated from it by
the stria terminalis and the thalamo-striate vein.
 Below: to the posterior limb of the internal capsule
separating the thalamus from the lentiform nucleus.

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 Nuclei of the thalamus:

 The thalamus is divided by a Y-shaped vertical sheet of white
matter called the internal medullary lamina into 3 parts:

I) The anterior nucleus:

 It is the anterior end of the thalamus between the 2 limbs of the
internal medullary lamina.
 It receives its afferent fibers from the mammillary bodies via
the mammillo-thalamic tract.
 It sends its efferents through anterior thalamic radiation to
the cingulate gyrus.
 Function: It is part of limbic system and related to memory and
emotions.
II) The medial nucleus:
 It lies medial to the internal medullary lamina.
 Afferent fibers: from the amygdala, hypothalamus, other
thalamic nuclei & prefrontal area.

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 Efferents fibers: pass in the anterior thalamic radiation to

hypothalamus, other thalamic nuclei & prefrontal area.
 Function: It is part of limbic system and related to memory
and emotions.
III) The lateral nuclei: It is subdivided into
A) Dorsal nuclei: include lateral dorsal, lateral posterior and
pulvinar.
 Afferent fibers: from the medial and lateral geniculate
bodies and superior colliculus.
 Efferent fibers: Association sensory areas of the cerebral
hemispheres.
 Function: Integration of sensory information
B) Ventral nuclei: are subdivided into 3 nuclei:
1) Anterior ventral and lateral ventral nuclei:
 Afferent fibers: from dentate nucleus of cerebellum & red nucleus
(dentate-rubro-thalamic pathway) and basal nuclei.
 Efferent fibers: form thalamo-cortical fibers to area 4 & 6.

 Functions: Motor planning, programming & execution.

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2) Most important of the ventral nuclei is the posterior ventral

nucleus of thalamus (PVNT) which is divided into:
a) Lateral part (PLVNT): which receives
 Afferent fibers: include 2 lemnisci as follows:
 Conscious proprioceptive, fine touch sensations from the
opposite side of body below the head through the
medial lemniscus.
 Pain, temperature and crude touch sensations from the
opposite side of the body below the head via the spinal
lemniscus.
b) Medial part (PMVNT): which receives
 Afferent fibers: Pain, touch, temperature, proprioceptive
and taste sensations from the opposite side of the head
trough the trigeminal lemniscus.
• The PVNT sends its efferent fibers, through superior thalamic
radiation, to the main sensory area (3,1,2) in the postcentral
gyrus of the parietal lobe.

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IV) 3 Scattered nuclei:

A) Intra-laminar nuclei lie in the internal medullary lamina &
Reticular nuclei lie in lateral to the thalamus and is separated
from the main part of thalamus by external medullary lamina
(sheet of white matter)
 Afferent fibers: reticular nuclei in brain stem and other
thalamic nuclei.
 Efferent fibers: to all areas of cerebral cortex.
 Function: reticular activating system responsible for
consciousness, attention and sleep-wake cycle.
B) Midline nuclei.

 N.B: Thalamic nuclei are:

II) 2 Limbic nuclei: Anterior and medial nuclei.
III) 2 Motor nuclei: ventral anterior and ventral lateral nuclei.
IV) 2 Sensory nuclei: PLVNT & PMVNT.
V) 2 Reticular activating system: Intra-laminar & reticular.
VI) 3 Association nuclei: Lateral dorsal , lateral posterior and
pulvinar.

 Thalamic radiations: (thalamo-cortical projection ibers)

I) Anterior thalamic radiation: ascends from anterior and medial
thalamic nuclei to prefrontal area & cingulate gyrus.
II) Superior thalamic (sensory)radiation: ascends from the
posterior ventral nuclei of the thalamus to area 3,1,2.
III)Posterior thalamic (Optic) radiation: arise from lateral
geniculate body and end in visual area (area 17) of the
occipital lobe.

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IV) Inferior thalamic (auditory) radiation: arise from

medial geniculate body and end in the auditory area (area
41 and 42)

 Function of thalamus:
1- The thalamus receives a large number of information from
spinal cord, brain stem, cerebellum, reticular formation,
hypothalamus and basal nuclei.
2- The thalamus sends information through efferent fibers via the
internal capsule to all parts of the cerebral cortex (thalamo-
cortical fibers or thalamic radiation) which affect the
cortical activity.
3- All the thalamic nuclei receive projection fibers from many parts
of the cortex (cortico-thalamic fibers) which enable the
cortex to influence the thalamic activity.

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4- In addition it sends fibers to subcortical centers as the basal

nuclei and the subthalamic nuclei.

 Blood supply of the thalamus: mainly posterior cerebral artery

1- Posterior cerebral artery: It is the terminal branch of basilar
artery and supply the thalamus through its posterior choroidal
branch, medial and lateral central branches.
2- Posterior communicating artery: branch from internal carotid
artery.

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Metathalamus
(Geniculate Bodies)
 They are placed on the lower surface of the posterior end of the
thalamus (pulvinar).
 The metathalamus consists of the geniculate bodies.
 They are centers of hearing and vision:
1- Medical geniculate body: (MGB)
• It receives afferent auditory fibers either:
 Directly from the lateral lemniscus or
 Indirectly from the inferior colliculus via the brachium of
the inferior colliculus.
• Its efferent fibers, pass via the sub-lenticular part of the
internal capsule; auditory radiation, to the superior
temporal gyrus (area 41 and 42).
• Functions: It is the 4th. order neurons in the pathway of
hearing.
2- Lateral geniculate body: (LGB)
• It receives afferent fibers from the optic tract.
• Its efferent fibers, pass via the retro-lenticular part of the
internal capsule, visual radiation, to the occipital cortex
(area 17).
• It constitutes 3rd order neurons in the visual pathway.

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Epithalamus
 The epithalamus consists of pineal gland, habenular trigon, habenular
and posterior commissures (see commissural fibers) and stria medullaris
thalami (see before).

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I) Pineal gland: (Epiphysis cerebri)

• It is a small pinecone gland lies in the median plane.

Pinecone

• Its base is directed anterior and connected to the posterior wall

of the 3rd ventricle by the stalk of pineal body.
• The stalk of the pineal body is penetrated by the pineal recess of
3rd ventricle which subdivides the stalk into:
 upper root contains habenular commissure.
 Lower root contains posterior commissure.
• It does not contain neural tissues but contain endocrinal cells
called pinealocytes.
• Relations: The pineal lies in contact:
 Below: overhang the depression between the 2 superior
colliculi of the midbrain.
 Above: it is overlapped by splenium of corpus callosum from
which it is separated by transverse cerebral fissure
containing the great cerebral vein (receiving 2 internal
cerebral vein) and tela choroidae of 3rd ventricle the choroidal
plexus of the 3rd ventricle.
• Function:
1) It is endocrinal gland secretes melatonin which is hormone of
darkness (control the circadian cycle of sleep).

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2) It also secretes indolamines and polypeptide hormones that

affect the hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary.
3) It becomes fibrosed and calcified in adult life (Radiological
landmark for the middle line).

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II) Habenular trigone:

• It is the small triangular area above and anterior to superior
colliculus, just medial to the pulvinar.
• It contains the habenular nucleus a part of limbic system and it is
part of olfactory reflex pathway, emotions and behaviour as it
has the following connections:
 Afferent fibers form stria medallaris thalami which carries
olfactory impulse from amygdaloid nucleus (via stria
terminalis) and hippocampus (via the fornix). It receives also
fibers from hypothalamus.
 Efferent fibers to medial nucleus of thalamus and nuclei of
reticular formation in the brain stem.

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Subthalamus
 It is the part of the diencephalon which lies immediately below the
ventral nuclei of thalamus and just above the tegmentum of
the midbrain. It is related medially to vertical part of hypothalamus
and laterally to the junction between internal capsule and cerebral
peduncle.
 It can be divided into 2 parts:
1- Its posterior part contains 5 bundles which ascend from below
to reach the thalamus. These bundles are the medial
lemniscus, spinal lemniscus, trigeminal lemniscus, reticulo-
thalamic tract and cerebello-thalamic fibers.
2- Its anterior part contains:
• Three nuclei:
 Upper end of the red nucleus.
 Upper end of substantia nigra.
 The subthalamic nucleus: It is a part of the extra-
pyramidal system.
• Two bundles: form pathways which descend from the
lentiform nucleus to reach the tegmentum of the midbrain.
These bundles are:
 The fasciculus lenticularis.
 The ansa lenticularis.
 Subthalamic nucleus:
• It lies above the substantia nigra and medial to internal capsule.
• It is important extrapyramidal center (control muscle activity).

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• It is interconnected by afferent and efferent fibers with the

globus pallidus.
• Lesion in the subthalamic nucleus leading to hemiballismus
(uncontrollable violent movements in the contralateral side of the
body)

Hypothalamus
 The hypothalamus is a neuro-endocrinal structure comprises:
1- Horizontal part: the structures which form the floor of the 3rd
ventricle (the contents of the inter-peduncular fossa); they are:
the infundibulum, the tuber cinereum, the mammillary bodies and the
posterior perforated substance.
2- Vertical part: the structures which lie in the lateral wall of the
third ventricle below and in front of the hypothalamic sulcus.

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 Connections and connections with pituitary: summary Fawzy

 Functions : Ahmed Farid

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Third Ventricle
(Cavity of Diencephalon)

 Site and shape:

 It is the cavity of the diencephalon.
 It is irregular cavity between the 2 thalami.
 Communications:
1) In front, it communicates with lateral ventricles through the
interventricular foramina.
2) Behind, it communicates with the aqueduct of the midbrain.

 Boundaries and relations:

I) Roof:
 Consists of ependyma, which is invaginated into the interior by
the choroid plexus of the 3rd ventricle (a pair of plexuses).

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 Superiorly, it is related to the tela choroidea which contains

the posterior choroidal artery and 2 internal cerebral veins.
 More superiorly, it is related to the body of the fornix,
septum pellucidum and the body of corpus callosum.

II) Floor: consists of:

• In front: The hyptothalamus (optic chiasma, infundibulum,
tuber cinereum, the mammillary body and the posterior
perforated substance).
• Behind: The midbrain.
3- Anterior wall: is formed by:
• The lamina terminalis.
• The anterior commissure.
• The column of fornix.

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4- Posterior wall: is formed from below upwards by:

• The upper opening of the aqueduct of the midbrain.
• The posterior commissure.
• The stalk of the pineal body.
• The habenular commissure.

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5- Lateral wall:
• Is marked by hypothalamic sulcus which extends from the
aqueduct of the midbrain, to the interventricular foramen.
• Above this sulcus, the lateral wall is formed by the medial
surface of the thalamus, which is fused to the thalamus of the
opposite side by a mass of gray matter called the inter-
thalamic adhesions.

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• Below the sulcus, the lateral wall is formed by the vertical

part of the hypothalamus.
 Recesses of third ventricle:
 Below and in front the 3rd ventricle has 2 recess:
a- Optic recess: above and in front of the optic chiasma.
b- Infundibular recess: below and behind optic chiasma.
 Above and behind the 3rd ventricle has 2 recesses:
a- Suprapineal recess: above the stalk of the pineal body.
b- Pineal recess: projects into the stalk of the pineal body above
the posterior commissure, below the habinular commissure.

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