Information about Ventricular System
| Brain: Cerebral ventricles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Scheme showing relations of the ventricles to the surface of the brain. | ||
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| Drawing of a cast of the ventricular cavities, viewed from above. | ||
| NeuroNames | ancil-192 | |
| MeSH | Cerebral+Ventricles | |
Components
The system comprises four ventricles:- right and left lateral ventricles
- third ventricle
- fourth ventricle
| Name | From | To |
| right and left interventricular foramina (Monro) | lateral ventricles | third ventricle |
| cerebral aqueduct (Sylvius) | third ventricle | fourth ventricle |
| Median aperture (Magendie) | fourth ventricle | subarachnoid space/cisterna magna |
| Lateral apertures (Luschka) | fourth ventricle | subarachnoid space/cistern of great cerebral vein |
Each ventricle contains a choroid plexus that produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) used to bathe and cushion the brain and spinal cord within their bony confines.
Ventricles
There are four cerebral ventricles: the paired lateral ventricles, and midline the third and fourth ventricles. The two lateral ventricles, located within the cerebrum, are relatively large and C-shaped, roughly wrapping around the dorsal aspects of the basal ganglia. It is in the lateral ventricles of the embryo that the successive generation of neurons gives rise to the 6-layered structure of the neocortex, constructed from the inside out during development. Each lateral ventricle extends into the frontal, temporal and occipital lobes via the frontal (anterior), temporal (inferior), and occipital (posterior) horns, respectively.The lateral ventricles both communicate via the interventricular foramina with the third ventricle, found centrally within the diencephalon. The third ventricle communicates via the cerebral aqueduct, located within the midbrain, with the fourth ventricle, found within the hindbrain. The three foramina to the subarachnoid space are found here, permitting cerebrospinal fluid produced in the ventricles to surround the brainstem, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. The fourth ventricle is also continuous with the central canal, allowing CSF to bathe the inside surface of the spinal cord as well.
Flow of cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid is produced by modified ependymal cells of the choroid plexus found in all components of the ventricular system except for the cerebral aqueduct and the occipital and frontal horns of the lateral ventricles. CSF flows from the lateral ventricles via the foramina of Monro into the third ventricle, and then the fourth ventricle via the cerebral aqueduct in the brainstem. From there it can pass into the central canal of the spinal cord or into the cisterns of the subarachnoid space via three small foramina: the central foramen of Magendie and the two lateral foramina of Luschka.The fluid then flows around the superior sagittal sinus to be reabsorbed via the arachnoid villi into the venous system. CSF within the spinal cord can flow all the way down to the lumbar cistern at the end of the cord around the cauda equina where lumbar punctures are performed.
The aqueduct between the third and fourth ventricles is very small, as are the foramina, which means that they can be easily blocked, causing high pressure in the lateral ventricles. This is a common cause of hydrocephalus--otherwise known as water in the brain--and is an extremely serious condition due to both the damage caused by the pressure as well as nature of whatever caused the block (possibly a tumour or inflammatory swelling).
Protection of the brain
The brain and spinal cord are covered by a series of tough membranes called meninges, which protect these organs from rubbing against the bones of the skull and spine. The cerebrospinal fluid within the skull and spine is found between the pia mater and the arachnoid meninges and provides further cushioning.Role in disease
Diseases of the ventricular system include abnormal enlargement (hydrocephalus) and inflammation of the CSF spaces (meningitis, ventriculitis) caused by infection or introduction of blood following trauma or hemorrhage.Interestingly, scientific study of CAT scans of the ventricles in the late 1970s revolutionized the study of mental illness. Researchers found that patients with schizophrenia had enlarged ventricles compared to healthy subjects. This became the first "evidence" that mental illness was biological in origin and led to a reinvigoration of the study of such conditions via modern scientific techniques. Whether the enlargement of the ventricles is a cause or a result of schizophrenia has not yet been ascertained, however. Nowadays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has superseded the use of CAT in research into the role of ventricular abnormalities in psychiatric illness.
Embryology
The structures of the ventricular system are embryologically derived from the centre of the neural tube (the neural canal).Additional images
Coronal dissection showing the ventricles of the brain. |
External links
References
- Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, Hall WC, Lamantia AS, McNamara JO, Williams SM, Neuroscience (third edition). Sinauer Associates Inc, July 2004. ISBN 0-87893-725-0
- Edgley S et al, Neuroanatomy from the Department of Anatomy, University of Cambridge.
NeuroNames is a system of nomenclature for the human and/or macaque brain.
It is maintained by the University of Washington and is a part of a tool called "BrainInfo". BrainInfo helps one identify structures in the brain.
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It is maintained by the University of Washington and is a part of a tool called "BrainInfo". BrainInfo helps one identify structures in the brain.
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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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In animals, the brain or encephalon (Greek for "in the skull"), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for behavior. The brain is located in the head, protected by the skull and close to the primary sensory apparatus of vision, hearing,
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The central canal is the cerebrospinal fluid-filled space that runs longitudinally through the length of the entire spinal cord. The central canal is contiguous with the ventricular system of the brain. The central canal represents the adult remainder of the neural tube.
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spinal chord is a thin, tubular bundle of nerves that is an extension of the central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected by the bony vertebral column.
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The lateral ventricles are part of the ventricular system of the brain. Classified as part of the telencephalon, they are the largest of the ventricles.
The lateral ventricles connect to the central third ventricle through the interventricular foramina of Monro.
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The lateral ventricles connect to the central third ventricle through the interventricular foramina of Monro.
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The third ventricle (ventriculus tertius) is one of four connected fluid-filled cavities comprising the ventricular system within the human brain. It is a median cleft between the two thalami, and is filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
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The fourth ventricle is one of the four connected fluid-filled cavities within the human brain. These cavities, known collectively as the ventricular system, consist of the left and right lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle.
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In the brain, the interventricular foramina (or foramina of Monro) are channels that connect the paired lateral ventricles with the third ventricle at the midline of the brain.
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The mesencephalic duct, also known as the aqueduct of Sylvius or the cerebral aqueduct, contains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), is within the mesencephalon (or midbrain) and connects the third ventricle in the diencephalon to the fourth ventricle, which is between the
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The median aperture of the brain (or foramen of Magendie) is an opening in the hollow nerve tube, connecting the fourth ventricle of the brain with the subarachnoid space.
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- For the anatomy term, see Subarachnoid space.
SubArachnoid Space is a San Francisco-based psychedelic rock band founded in 1996 by Mason Jones, the owner of the independent music label Charnel Music.
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The cisterna magna (or cerebellomedullary cistern) is a large cistern between the cerebellum and medulla. It lies between the cerebellum and the dorsal surface of the medulla.
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The two lateral apertures (or foramina of Luschka), along with the median aperture, comprise the three openings in the roof of the fourth ventricle. They are found at the extremities of the lateral recesses.
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The cistern of great cerebral vein occupies the interval between the splenium of the corpus callosum and the superior surface of the cerebellum; it extends between the layers of the tela chorioidea of the third ventricle and contains the great cerebral vein.
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The choroid plexus is the area on the ventricles of the brain where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced by modified ependymal cells.
Choroid plexus is present in all components of the ventricular system except for the cerebral aqueduct and the occipital and frontal horns
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Choroid plexus is present in all components of the ventricular system except for the cerebral aqueduct and the occipital and frontal horns
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Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), Liquor cerebrospinalis, is a clear bodily fluid that occupies the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system around and inside the brain.
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The telencephalon (IPA: /tɛlɛnˈsɛfəlɑn/) is the name for the forebrain, a large region within the brain to which many functions are attributed.
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The basal ganglia (or basal nuclei) are a group of nuclei in the brain interconnected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and brainstem. Mammalian basal ganglia are associated with a variety of functions: motor control, cognition, emotions and learning.
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Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
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neocortex (Latin for "new bark" or "new rind") is a part of the brain of mammals. It is the top layer of the cerebral hemispheres, 2-4 mm thick, and made up of six layers, labelled I to VI (with VI being the innermost and I being the outermost).
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The frontal lobe is an area in the brain of mammals. Located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere, frontal lobes are positioned in front of (anterior to) the parietal lobes. The temporal lobes are located beneath and behind the frontal lobes.
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The temporal lobes are part of the cerebrum. They lie at the sides of the brain, beneath the lateral or Sylvian fissure. Seen in profile, the human brain looks something like a boxing glove. The temporal lobes are where the thumbs would be.
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The word occipital refers to several areas of the human body in the occiput, the rear of the skull:
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- Occipital bun
- Occipital lobe
- Occipital bone
- Occipital scales
- Occipital artery
- Occipital vein
- Lesser occipital nerve
- Greater occipital nerve
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In the brain, the interventricular foramina (or foramina of Monro) are channels that connect the paired lateral ventricles with the third ventricle at the midline of the brain.
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The diencephalon is the region of the brain that includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, prethalamus or subthalamus and pretectum. It is derived from the prosencephalon. The diencephalon is located at the midline of the brain, above the mesencephalon of the brain stem.
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The mesencephalic duct, also known as the aqueduct of Sylvius or the cerebral aqueduct, contains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), is within the mesencephalon (or midbrain) and connects the third ventricle in the diencephalon to the fourth ventricle, which is between the
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The rhombencephalon (or hindbrain) is a developmental categorization of portions of the central nervous system in vertebrates.
The rhombencephalon can be subdivided in a variable number of transversal swellings called rhombomeres.
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The rhombencephalon can be subdivided in a variable number of transversal swellings called rhombomeres.
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- For the anatomy term, see Subarachnoid space.
SubArachnoid Space is a San Francisco-based psychedelic rock band founded in 1996 by Mason Jones, the owner of the independent music label Charnel Music.
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The brain stem is the lower part of the brain, adjoining and structurally continuous with the spinal cord. Most sources consider the pons, medulla oblongata, and midbrain all to be part of the brainstem.
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