Diencephalon

Basal ganglia
Internal capsule

By: Dr. Atal

 Diencephalon
 Epithalamus
 Thalamus
 Hypothalamus
 Subthalamus

 *metathalamus
 medial geniculate body
 lateral geniculate body
 epithalamus
 Pineal body
 Habenular nuclie
 Stria medullaris
 Taenia thalami
 thalamus
 Nuclear groups( IML)
 anterior
 anterior tubercle
 medial
 dorsomedial
 lateral
 ventral nuclear mass
 ventral anterior
 ventral lateral
 ventral posterior
 vpln
 vpmn
 lateral nuclear mass
 pulvinar
 lateral posterior
 *centromedian n. – intralaminar n.
Specific Relay Nuclei (and Function)

Their cortical connections are given at this point for infor-

mation (<---> symbolizes a connection in both directions).

VA — ventral anterior (motor) <---> premotor area and

supplementary motor area
VL — ventral lateral (motor) <---> precentral gyrus and
premotor area
VPL — ventral posterolateral (somatosensory) <- -->
postcentral gyrus
VPM — ventral posteromedial (trigeminal) <--->
postcentral gyrus
MGB — medial geniculate (body) nucleus (audi- tory) <---
> temporal cortex
LGB — lateral geniculate (body) nucleus (vision) <--->
occipital cortex
Association Nuclei (and
Association Cortex)

These nuclei are reciprocally

connected to association areas
of the cerebral cortex.

DM — dorsomedial nucleus
<---> prefrontal cortex AN —
anterior nucleus <---> limbic
lobe
Pul — pulvinar <---> visual
cortex
LP — lateral posterior <--->
parietal lobe
LD — lateral dorsal <--->
parietal lobe
Nonspecific Nuclei (to Widespread
Areas of the
Cerebral Cortex)

IL — intralaminar
CM — centromedian
Ret — reticular
 Lesions of the Thalamus
 Sensory Loss

 Result from thrombosis or hemorrhage

 damage to VPLN and VPMN
 loss of all forms of sensation

1
3
 Thalamic Syndrome
 May occur as the patient is recovering
from a thalamic infarct
 spontaneous pain which is often excessive
and unpleasant occurs on the opposite side
of the body
 painful sensation may be aroused by light
touch or cold
 may fail to respond to powerful analgesic
drugs 1
4
 hypothalamus
 Central control of :

 visceral autonomic
 endocrine functions
 effective behavior
 Hypothalamic areas
 I. Preoptic region
 preoptic n .

 A. supraoptic
 supraoptic
 paraventricular

 B. tuberal region
 ventromedial
 dorsomedial
arcuate/infundibular
 posterior hypothalamic

 C.mamillary region
 mamillary nucleus
 posterior hypothalamic
 II. Lateral hypothalamic
area

 Bounded medially:
 mamillothalamic tract
 anterior column of fornix
 Bounded laterally:
 subthalamic region
 internal capsule
 Clinical disorders associated
with hypothalamic lesions
 obesity and wasting
 sexual disorders
 hyperthermia and hypothermia
 diabetes insipidus
 disturbances of sleep
 emotional disorders

2
4
 subthalamus
 Ventral to thalamus
 Medial to internal
capsule
 Caudal to
hypothalamus
 Closely associated
with the basal ganglia
in function
 subthalamus
 Zona incerta- between
lenticular fasciculus and
thalamic fasciculus
 *rostral continuation of
midbrain reticular formation

 Forels tegmental field-includes

the prerubral field

 Subthalamic nucleus
 *continous at the substantia
nigra at its caudal extent
 *medial border of internal
capsule
 lesions of the subthalamic nucleus

 Hemiballismus

2
8
Basal ganglia
 Basal ganglia
 A. corpus striatum
 somatic motor function

 B. amygdaloid nuclear complex

 regarded as a component of the limbic system
 olfactory input
 archistriatum
 beneath the uncus in the temporal lobe
 reciprocal connections with the hypothalamus
 and prepyriform cortex
 Corpus striatum
 1. neostriatum
 a. caudate nucleus
 b. putamen

 2. paleosriatum
 a. globus pallidus

 * Lentiform nucleus
 putamen and globus
 pallidus
 Caudate nucleus
 C – shaped cellular mass
 Related throughout its extent to the
lateral ventricle
 Head – rostral to the thalamus
 Body – arches along the dorsolateral
border of the thalamus
 Tail – lies in the roof of the inferior horn
of the lateral ventricle
 putamen
 Largest and most lateral portion of the
corpus striatum

 Between the external capsule and the

lateral medullary lamina of the globus
pallidus
 striatum
 High concentrations of dopamine
 Contains glutamate conveyed by
corticostriate fibers
 Serotonin transmitted from the raphe
nuclei of the midbrain
 Striated efferent neurons contains GABA
and substance P.
 Globus pallidus
 Medial to the putamen

 Medial medullary lamina divides globus

pallidus into medial and lateral segments
 claustrum
 Narrow streak of gray
matter between the
lentiform nucleus and
nuclear cortex

 Seperated by two white

lamina:
 A. external capsule
medially
 B. extreme capsule
laterally
 Amygdaloid nuclear complex
 Dorsomedial portion
of the temporal lobe

 Continous with the

uncus of the
parahippocampal
gyrus
 Internal capsule
 Medially – thalamus
and caudate

 Laterally – lentiform
nucleus
 Internal capsule
 Anterior limb:
 a. anterior thalamic radiations
 b. prefrontal corticopontine tract

 Genu
 a. corticobulbar
 b. corticoreticular

 Posterior limb
 a. corticospinal
 b. frontopontine fibers
 c. superior thalamic radiation
 d. corticotectal, corticorubral,
 corticoreticular
 Basal ganglia lesions
 Extrapyramidal lesions

 Parkinsons
 Chorea
 Athetosis
 Hemiballismus

4
2
Limbic system
Memory and behavior
 Limbic lobe
 Cingulate gyrus
 anterior extension – septal region

 A. paraterminal
 B. subcallosal gyrus

Parahippocampal gyrus (temporal lobe)

 neocortex
 Limbic system
 Limbic lobe connections to other
structures

 hippocampal formation (posterior part

of the parahippocampal gyrus
 amygdala / amygdaloid nucleus
( anterior part of the parahippocampal
gyrus)
 Hippocampal formation
 Memory and learning

 3 parts
 A. dentate gyrus
 B. hippocampus proper
 C. subiculum – transition between hippocampus proper
and entorhinal area (part of the parahippocampal gyrus)

 A and B – archicortex

 Parahippocampal gyrus - neocortex


 Hippocampal formation
 Initial center in a reverberating pathway called the PAPEZ circuit
 Inputs from prefrontal cortex , posterior parietal , temporal lobe
 Cingulum
 Entorhinal part of parahippocampal gyrus
 Hippocampus
 Fornix
 fimbriae
 crus of fornix
 hippocampal commissure
 body of fornix
 column of fornix
 Anterior commissure
 pre commissural fibers – from hippocampus to septal area and forebrain
structures
 post commissural fibers- mamillary body – mamilothalamic tract
 anterior thalamic nucleus – thalamocingulate radiation –
 cingulate gyrus- cingulum
 Hippocampal formation
 Bilateral removal for tx for epilepsy
 Profound loss of recent or short term memory
(anterograde amnesia)
 Loss of ability to learn
 Memories of the distant past and intelligence
remain intact
 Alzheimer disease – loss of neurons in the
hippocampal formation and reduction of
cholinergic innervation of the cerebral cortex
 Limbic system syndromes
 Alzheimer – loss of recent memory
 Kluver- Bucy -behavioral changes
 Korsakoff – loss of recent memory and
confabulation (fabricate false accounts of
recent events)
 Amygdaloid nucleus
 Behavior
 Emotions
 Located beneath the uncus near the
dosomedial tip of the temporal lobe
 Connections to the olfactory striae
 Alzheimers disease

 progressive dementia (<65)
 senile dementia (>65)
 increasingly forgetful
 abnormalities in memory, cognition, orientation and behaviour
 loss of neurons in the hippocampal formation and adjacent
 parahippocampal cortex
 reduction in cholinergic enervation of the cerebral cortex
 results in denervation of basal nucleus of MEYNERT located in the
anterior perforated substance commonly referred to as
SUBSTANTIA INNOMINATA.
 Korsakoff syndrome or Psychosis

 loss of recent memory and a tendency to
fabricate false accounts of recent events

 medial parts of the medial dorsal thalamic

nuclei ( Lesion)
 Kluver – Bucy syndrome

behavioral changes:
- absence of emotional response to fear, rage
and aggression cease to exist
- compulsion to be overly attentive, to all
sensory stimuli
- hypersexuality
- psychic blindness or visual agnosia
- damage to amygdaloid nucleus