Coronal section of the brain (thalamus level): Gray matter structures (English)

The most striking gray matter structures seen on this section are the thalami at the center of the illustration. Each thalamus a large, bilateral nucleus which faces its counterpart so that their medial surfaces comprise the lateral walls of the third ventricle of the brain. Inferior to each thalamus is another nucleus called the subthalamic nucleus and below that is the substantia nigra, a cluster of dopamine-releasing neurons in the midbrain. Lateral to these structures is the corpus striatum, often called the basal ganglia/nuclei. The corpus striatum is a collection of nuclei that consists of the caudate nucleus (in the image only the body is visible), putamen and globus pallidus. The putamen and globus pallidus are often collectively referred to as the lentiform nucleus due to their proximity and the lens-shape they create together. The last important gray matter structure is the hippocampus, which lies deep to the temporal lobe.