The third ventricle is one of the four connected cerebral ventricles of the ventricular system within the mammalian brain. It is a slit-like cavity formed in the

diencephalon In the human brain, the diencephalon (or interbrain) is a division of the forebrain (embryonic ''prosencephalon''). It is situated between the telencephalon and the midbrain (embryonic ''mesencephalon''). The diencephalon has also been known as t ...

between the two thalami, in the midline between the right and left lateral ventricles, and is filled with

cerebrospinal fluid Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless Extracellular fluid#Transcellular fluid, transcellular body fluid found within the meninges, meningeal tissue that surrounds the vertebrate brain and spinal cord, and in the ventricular system, ven ...

(CSF). Running through the third ventricle is the interthalamic adhesion, which contains thalamic

neuron A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...

s and

fibers Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often inco ...

that may connect the two thalami.

Structure

The third ventricle is a narrow, laterally flattened, vaguely rectangular region, filled with

, and lined by ependyma. It is connected at the superior anterior corner to the lateral ventricles, by the interventricular foramina, and becomes the cerebral aqueduct (''aqueduct of Sylvius'') at the posterior caudal corner. Since the interventricular foramina are on the lateral edge, the corner of the third ventricle itself forms a bulb, known as the ''anterior recess'' (it is also known as the ''bulb of the ventricle''). The roof of the ventricle comprises

choroid plexus The choroid plexus, or plica choroidea, is a plexus of cells that arises from the tela choroidea in each of the ventricles of the brain. Regions of the choroid plexus produce and secrete most of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the central ...

, forming the inferior central portion of the tela choroidea; immediately above the superior central portion of the tela choroidea is the fornix. The lateral side of the ventricle is marked by a sulcus – the hypothalamic sulcus – from the inferior side of the interventricular foramina to the anterior side of the cerebral aqueduct. The lateral border posterior/superior of the sulcus constitutes 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 ...

, while anterior/inferior of the sulcus it constitutes the

hypothalamus The hypothalamus (: hypothalami; ) is a small part of the vertebrate brain that contains a number of nucleus (neuroanatomy), nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrin ...

. The interthalamic adhesion usually tunnels through the thalamic portion of the ventricle, joining together the left and right halves of the thalamus, although it is sometimes absent, or split into more than one tunnel through the ventricle; it is currently unknown whether any nerve fibres pass between the left and right thalamus via the adhesion (it has more resemblance to a

hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...

tion than a

commissure A commissure () is the location at which two objects wikt:abut#Verb, abut or are joined. The term is used especially in the fields of anatomy and biology. * The most common usage of the term refers to the brain's commissures, of which there are at ...

). The posterior border of the ventricle primarily constitutes the epithalamus. The superior part of the posterior border constitutes the habenular commissure, while more centrally it the

pineal gland The pineal gland (also known as the pineal body or epiphysis cerebri) is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. It produces melatonin, a serotonin-derived hormone, which modulates sleep, sleep patterns following the diurnal c ...

, which regulates sleep and reacts to light levels. Caudal of the pineal gland is the

posterior commissure The posterior commissure (also known as the epithalamic commissure) is a rounded band of white fibers crossing the middle line on the dorsal aspect of the rostral end of the cerebral aqueduct. It is important in the bilateral pupillary light re ...

; nerve fibres reach the posterior commissure from the adjacent midbrain, but their onward connection is currently uncertain. The commissures create concavity to the shape of the posterior ventricle border, causing the suprapineal recess above the habenular, and the deeper pineal recess between the habenular and posterior commissures; the recesses being so-named due to the pineal recess being bordered by the pineal gland. Gray721

The anterior wall of the ventricle forms the lamina terminalis, within which the vascular organ monitors and regulates the osmotic concentration of the blood; the cerebrum lies beyond the lamina, and causes it to have a slightly concave shape. The optic recess – marks the inferior end of the lamina terminalis, with the optic chiasm forming the immediately adjacent floor. The portion of the floor immediately posterior of the optic chiasm distends inferiorly, and slightly anteriorly, to form a funnel (the infundibulum); the recess leading to the funnel is known as the infundibular recess. The border of the funnel is the tuber cinereum, which constitutes a bundle of nerve fibres from the hypothalamus. The funnel ends in the posterior lobe of the

pituitary gland The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, the pituitary gland is located at the base of the human brain, brain, protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus contr ...

, which is thus neurally connected to the hypothalamus via the tuber cinereum. A venous sinus (the ''circular sinus'') surrounds the superior portion of the tuber cinereum; the ''circular sinus'' is in fact simply a portion of the two lateral cavernous sinuses, joined together by a posterior and anterior ''intercavernous'' sinus. The mammillary bodies form the floor posterior of the tuber cinereum, acting as the link between the fornix and the hypothalamus. Posterior of the mamillary bodies, the ventricle becomes the opening of the cerebral aqueduct, the inferior borders becoming the crus cerebri (sometimes historically called the ''cerebral peduncle'') of the

midbrain The midbrain or mesencephalon is the uppermost portion of the brainstem connecting the diencephalon and cerebrum with the pons. It consists of the cerebral peduncles, tegmentum, and tectum. It is functionally associated with vision, hearing, mo ...

Development

The third ventricle, like other parts of the ventricular system of the brain, develops from the ''neural canal'' of the

neural tube In the developing chordate (including vertebrates), the neural tube is the embryonic precursor to the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The neural groove gradually deepens as the neural folds become elevated, ...

. Specifically, it originates from the most rostral portion of the neural tube which initially expands to become the prosencephalon. The lamina terminalis is the rostral termination of the neural tube. After about five weeks, different portions of the prosencephalon begin to take distinct developmental paths from one another – the more rostral portion becomes the

telencephalon The cerebrum (: cerebra), telencephalon or endbrain is the largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex (of the two cerebral hemispheres) as well as several subcortical structures, including the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and olf ...

, while the more caudal portion becomes the

. The telencephalon gradually expands laterally to a much greater extent than it does dorsally or ventrally, and its connection to the remainder of the neural tube reduces to the interventricula foramina. The diencephalon expands more evenly, but caudally of the diencephalon the canal remains narrow. The third ventricle is the space formed by the expanding canal of the diencephalon. The hypothalamic region of the ventricle develops from the ventral portion of the neural tube, while the thalamic region develops from the dorsal portion; the wall of the tube thickens and becomes the hypothalamus and thalamus respectively. The hypothalamic area of the ventricle begins to distend ventrally during the 5th week of development, creating the infundibulum and posterior pituitary; an outgrowth from the stomodeum (the future mouth) gradually extends towards it, to form the anterior pituitary. The optic recess is noticeable by the end of the 6th week, by which time a bend is distinguishable in the dorsal portion of the ventricle border. Rostral of the bend, the medial dorsal portion of the ventrical begins to flatten, and become secretory (i.e. choroid plexus), forming the roof of the ventricle. Caudal of the bend, the ventricle border forms the epithalamus, and begins to distend towards the parietal bone (in lower vertebrates, it distends more specifically to the parietal eye); the border of the distention forms the pineal gland.

Clinical significance

The floor of the third ventricle is formed by hypothalamic structures and this can be opened surgically between the mamillary bodies and the

in a procedure called an endoscopic third ventriculostomy. An endoscopic third ventriculostomy can be performed in order to release extra fluid caused by

hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...

. Several studies have found evidence of ventricular enlargement to be associated with major depression, particularly enlargement of the third ventricle. These observations are interpreted as indicating a loss of neural tissue in brain regions adjacent to the enlarged ventricle, leading to suggestions that

cytokine Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...

s and related mediators of

neurodegeneration A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neuronal damage may also ultimately result in their cell death, death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sc ...

may play a role in giving rise to the disease. A chordoid glioma is a rare tumour that can arise in the third ventricle.

Additional images

File:Gray734.png, Third ventricle File:Gray723.png, Coronal section of lateral and third ventricles. File:Gray735.png, Drawing of a cast of the ventricular cavities, viewed from above. File:Slide9qq.JPG, Third ventricle

References

External links