Coronals:
Things have changed quite a
bit. Here the thalamus occupies the dorsal 2/3
of the
non-cortical brain and below that, in the bottom 1/3, is the hypothalamus.
Who would have thought - those cunning neuroanatomists put the hypothalamus below the thalamus.
The fused medial portion
of the thalamus at this
level is the massa
intermedia. Portions of the 3rd ventricle can be found
above and
below the massa intermedia.
Yes, it's a mass and it's
between.
You can see four dots here. On top you'll find the mammillothalamic
tracts below are the continuations of the columns of the
fornix.
Following the most common system for naming pathways in the brain, the
mammillothalamic tracts carry
information from the mammillary bodies
and the anterior thalamus.
The flattened body of
the fornix can be seen here. Notice that
its lateral edges
have a bit of a flare. These flares represent
the beginning of the fimbria.
A feathery (and thus the term
"fimbria") band that follows the course of the hippocampus (which will
be visible in the next section).
If you look at the ventral
portions of what seem to be cerebral cortex
here, you'll notice that the area is remarkably lacking in thick fiber
pathways. This region is the amygdala (almond). More
appropriately, it is often referred to as the amygdaloid complex,
because it has several subdivisions.
A carefull examination of the lateral
edges of the brain just medial
to the amygdala reveals
the optic tracts
ascending up the sides.