Internal Structures

  1. The corpus callosum is a distinctive c shaped region of fiber tracts that connects the left and right hemispheres


  1. The diencephalon is the central interior region of the brain that contains the thalamus, epithalamus, and hypothalamus


  1. The thalamus is a rounded structure located roughly between the corpus callosum and the optic chiasm 


  1. The epithalamus is the superior region of the diencephalon, just above the thalamus


  1. The hypothalamus is the region just inferior to the thalamus. The stalk which extends from the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland have been removed. You may be able to see a small hole in this area, just posterior to the optic chiasm where the stalk extended from the hypothalamus and connected to the pituitary


  1. The small, dark pineal gland is located posterior to the thalamus


  1. The largest and most posterior portion of the brain stem, the medulla oblongata, is continuous with the spinal cord


  1. The smaller pons can be identified as a small protrusion or bump anterior to the medulla oblongata


  1. The midbrain is located between the pons and the diencephalon


  1. The space inferior to the corpus callosum is the lateral ventricle


  1. The third ventricle is a space between the corpus callosum and the thalamus