Medical expert of the article
New publications
Lateral ventricle
Last reviewed: 19.11.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
The lateral ventricle (ventriculus lateralis) is located in the thickness of the cerebral hemisphere. There are two lateral ventricles: the left (first), corresponding to the left hemisphere, and the right (second), located in the right hemisphere of the large brain. The cavity of the ventricle has a complex shape. This form is due to the fact that the ventricular sections are located in all parts of the hemisphere (except for the islet). The dark part of the cerebral hemisphere corresponds to the central part of the lateral ventricle, the frontal lobe - the anterior (frontal) horn, the occipital horn - the posterior (occipital) horn, the temporal lobe - the lower (temporal) horn.
The central part (pars centralis) of the lateral ventricle is a horizontally located slit-shaped space, bounded from above by transversely running fibers of the corpus callosum. The bottom of the central part is represented by the body of the caudate nucleus, part of the dorsal surface of the thalamus, and a terminal strip (stria terminalis), which separates these two formations from each other. The medial wall of the central part of the lateral ventricle is the body of the arch. Between the body of the arch at the top and the thalamus below is a vascular cleft (fissura choroidea), to which the vascular plexus of the lateral ventricle is attached to the central part. The lateral roof and bottom of the central part of the lateral ventricle are connected at an acute angle. In this regard, the side wall near the central part is as if absent.
The anterior (frontal) horn (cornu frontage, S. Anterius) has the appearance of a wide slit, curved downwards and laterally. The medial wall of the anterior horn is a transparent septum. The lateral and partly lower wall of the anterior horn is formed by the head of the caudate nucleus. The anterior, upper and lower walls of the anterior horn are confined to the fibers of the corpus callosum.
The lower (temporal) horn (cornu temporale, s. Inferius) is the cavity of the temporal lobe, into which it penetrates rather deeply. The lateral wall and the roof of the lower horn of the lateral ventricle form a white matter of the cerebral hemisphere. The tail of the caudate nucleus also extends into the roof. In the bottom of the lower horn, the collateral elevation (eminentia collateralis), which extends from the posterior horn of the triangular form, is the trace of the depression of the cerebral hemisphere in the lower horn cavity, located in the depth of the collateral groove. The medial wall is formed by the hippocampus (hippocampus), which extends to the anterior parts of the lower horn and ends with a thickening. This thickening of the hippocampus is divided by small grooves into separate tubercles (seahorse toes, digitationes hippocampi - BNA). From the medial side with the hippocampus, the fimbria of the hippocampus (fimbria hippocampi) is fused, which is the continuation of the arch of the arch. To this fimbria is attached the vascular plexus of the lateral ventricle, which descends here from the central part.
The posterior (occipital) horn (cornu occipitale, S. Posterius) extends into the occipital part of the hemisphere. The upper and lateral walls of it are formed by fibers of the corpus callosum, the lower and medial walls by protrusion of white matter in the occipital lobe into the cavity of the posterior horn. Two protrusions are visible on the medial wall of the posterior horn. The upper - the bulb of the horn of the back (bulbus cornu occipitalis) is represented by the fibers of the corpus callosum on their way to the occipital lobe, which at this point pass around the parieto-occipital furrow that extends deep into the hemisphere. The lower protrusion - the bird's spur (calcar avis) is formed by inducing a medullary substance located in the depth of the furrow groove in the cavity of the posterior horn. On the lower wall of the posterior horn there is a slightly convex collateral triangle (trigonum collaterale) - a trace of pressure into the cavity of the ventricle of the substance of the cerebral hemisphere located in the depth of the collateral groove.
In the central part and lower horn of the lateral ventricle there is a vascular plexus of the lateral ventricle (plexus choroideus ventriculi lateralis). This venous plexus is attached to the vascular ribbon (taenia choroidea) below and to the veneer tape at the top. The vascular plexus continues into the lower horn, where it also attaches itself to the fimbria of the hippocampus.
The vascular plexus of the lateral ventricle is formed due to the invagination into the ventricle through the vascular cleft of the soft shell of the brain with the blood vessels contained in it. The soft (vascular) membrane is covered from the ventricle by the inner (epithelial) plate (the remnant of the medial wall of the first cerebral bladder). In the anterior regions, the vascular plexus of the lateral ventricle through the interventricular opening (foramen interventriculare) is connected to the vascular plexus of the third ventricle.
[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12]