Mammillothalamic tract explained

Mammillothalamic tract
Latin:fasciculus mammillothalamicus

The mammillothalamic tract (also mammillary fasciculus,[1] mammillothalamic fasciculus, thalamomammillary fasciculus, bundle of Vicq d'Azyr) is an efferent pathway of the mammillary body which projects to the anterior nuclei of thalamus. It consists of heavily myelinated fibres. It is part of a brain circuit involved in spatial memory.

It arises from (the medial and lateral nuclei of) the mammillary body and from fibers that are directly continued from the fornix.[2] [3] It connects the mammillary body to the dorsal tegmental nuclei, the ventral tegmental nuclei, and the anterior thalamic nuclei.[2] [3] [4]

Structure

Axons divide within the gray matter; the thicker fibres form the MTT while the finer branches descend as the mammillotegmental fasciculus.[2] The MTT spreads fan-like as it terminates in the medial dorsal nucleus.[2] Some fibers pass through the dorsal nucleus to the angular nucleus of the thalamus. (a group of cells ventral to the lateral dorsal nucleus of thalamus[5]). The axons from these nuclei form part of the thalamocortical radiations.[6]

Clinical significance

Infarction of the region including the mammillothalamic tract has been associated with alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome.[7]

History

The mammillothalamic tract was first described by the French physician, Félix Vicq d'Azyr, from whom it takes its alternate name (bundle of Vicq d'Azyr).

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Patestas, Maria A. . A Textbook of Neuroanatomy . Gartner . Leslie P. . Wiley-Blackwell . 2016 . 978-1-118-67746-9 . 2nd . Hoboken, New Jersey . 434.
  2. 4462591. 2015. Dillingham. C. M. How do mammillary body inputs contribute to anterior thalamic function?. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 54. 108–119. Frizzati. A. Nelson. A. J. Vann. S. D. 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.025. 25107491.
  3. 2936113. 2010. Aggleton. J. P. Hippocampal–anterior thalamic pathways for memory: Uncovering a network of direct and indirect actions. European Journal of Neuroscience. 31. 12. 2292–2307. O'Mara. S. M. Vann. S. D. Wright. N. F. Tsanov. M. Erichsen. J. T. 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07251.x. 20550571.
  4. Book: Haines DE. 2003. Neuroanatomy: Atlas of Structures, Sections, and Systems, 6th ed (page 148). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 978-0781746779.
  5. NeuroNames. Angular Thalamic Nucleus --> "What, Where and How Big is It?" BrainInfo. Accessed January 25, 2011.
  6. Kamali . Arash . Zhang . Caroline C. . Riascos . Roy F. . Tandon . Nitin . Bonafante-Mejia . Eliana E. . Patel . Rajan . Lincoln . John A. . Rabiei . Pejman . Ocasio . Laura . Younes . Kyan . Hasan . Khader M. . Diffusion tensor tractography of the mammillothalamic tract in the human brain using a high spatial resolution DTI technique . Scientific Reports . 8 . 1 . 2018-03-27 . 2045-2322 . 29588461 . 5869722 . 10.1038/s41598-018-23452-w . 5229. 2018NatSR...8.5229K .
  7. Yoneoka Y, Takeda N, Inoue A, etal . Acute Korsakoff syndrome following mammillothalamic tract infarction . AJNR Am J Neuroradiol . 25 . 6 . 964–8 . 2004 . 15205131 .

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