The substantia innominata, also innominate substance or substantia innominata of Meynert (Latin for unnamed substance), is a series of layers in the

human brain The human brain is the central organ (anatomy), organ of the nervous system, and with the spinal cord, comprises the central nervous system. It consists of the cerebrum, the brainstem and the cerebellum. The brain controls most of the activi ...

consisting partly of

gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

and partly of

white matter White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system that are mainly made up of myelinated axons, also called Nerve tract, tracts. Long thought to be passive tissue, white matter affects learning and brain functions, modulating the distr ...

, which lies below the anterior part of the

thalamus The thalamus (: thalami; from Greek language, Greek Wikt:θάλαμος, θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral wall of the third ventricle forming the wikt:dorsal, dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of ...

and

lentiform nucleus The lentiform nucleus (or lentiform complex, lenticular nucleus, or lenticular complex) are the putamen (laterally) and the globus pallidus (medially), collectively. Due to their proximity, these two structures were formerly considered one, howev ...

. It is included as part of the anterior perforated substance (as it appears to be perforated by many holes which are actually blood vessels). It is part of the

basal forebrain Part of the human brain, the basal forebrain structures are located in the forebrain to the front of and below the striatum. They include the ventral basal ganglia (including nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum), nucleus basalis, diagonal ba ...

structures and includes the

nucleus basalis In the human brain, the nucleus basalis, also known as the nucleus basalis of Meynert or nucleus basalis magnocellularis, is a group of neurons located mainly in the substantia innominata of the basal forebrain. Most neurons of the nucleus basa ...

. A portion of the substantia innominata, below the

globus pallidus The globus pallidus (GP), also known as paleostriatum or dorsal pallidum, is a major component of the Cerebral cortex, subcortical basal ganglia in the brain. It consists of two adjacent segments, one external (or lateral), known in rodents simpl ...

is considered as part of the extended amygdala.

Layers

Nucleus basalis of Meynert -l- very low mag

It consists of three layers, superior, middle, and inferior. * The ''superior layer'' is named the ansa lenticularis, and its fibers, derived from the medullary lamina of the lentiform nucleus, pass medially to end in the thalamus and subthalamic region, while others are said to end in the

tegmentum The tegmentum (from Latin for "covering") is a general area within the brainstem. The tegmentum is the ventral part of the midbrain and the tectum is the dorsal part of the midbrain. It is located between the ventricular system and distinctive b ...

and

red nucleus The red nucleus or nucleus ruber is a structure in the rostral midbrain involved in motor coordination. The red nucleus is pale pink, which is believed to be due to the presence of iron in at least two different forms: hemoglobin and ferritin. ...

. * The ''middle layer'' consists of nerve cells and nerve fibers; fibers enter it from the parietal lobe through the

external capsule The external capsule is a series of white matter fiber tracts in the brain. These fibers run between the most lateral (toward the side of the head) segment of the lentiform nucleus (more specifically the putamen) and the claustrum. The white matt ...

, while others are said to connect it with the

medial longitudinal fasciculus The medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) is a prominent bundle of nerve fibres which pass within the ventral/anterior portion of periaqueductal gray of the mesencephalon (midbrain). It contains the interstitial nucleus of Cajal, responsible ...

. * The ''inferior layer'' forms the main part of the inferior stalk of the thalamus, and connects this body with the

temporal lobe The temporal lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The temporal lobe is located beneath the lateral fissure on both cerebral hemispheres of the mammalian brain. The temporal lobe is involved in pr ...

and the insula.

Striatopallidal system

In the late 20th century following improved imaging by

staining Staining is a technique used to enhance contrast in samples, generally at the Microscope, microscopic level. Stains and dyes are frequently used in histology (microscopic study of biological tissue (biology), tissues), in cytology (microscopic ...

it was reclassified as part of the striatopallidal system, which is made up of the dorsal striatum and dorsal pallidum, and the ventral striatum and ventral pallidum.

References

External links

Diagram at biocfarm.unibo.it
{{Authority control Rostral basal ganglia and associated structures