Diencephalon: Introduction and Epithalamus

Chapter

Abstract

Herrick [9, 10] divided the diencephalon into four longitudinal zones: the epithalamus, dorsal thalamus, ventral thalamus and hypothalamus. This subdivision has found wide acceptance and has been claimed to be applicable to all vertebrate groups, including mammals [3, 27] and humans [5, 11, 12, 26]. Although we presently know (see Chap. 2) that two of Herrick’s zones, i.e. the dorsal and ventral thalami, are direct derivatives of neuromeres and that their topographically horizontal orientation is due to the strong curvature of the rostral part of the brain, it cannot be denied that Herrick’s subdivision offers a convenient starting point for a discussion of the various diencephalic cell masses and their connections. For this practical reason, the same partitioning will be used in the following chapters.

Keywords

Pineal Gland Dorsal Raphe Rostral Part Dorsal Thalamus Habenular Nucleus 
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