Intro | Amygdala | Mammillary Body | Olfactory Bulb | Cingulate Gyrus | Dentate Gyrus | Fornix | Hippocampus | Septum | Thalamus
Part 1: Image-Mapped Tutorial
Part 2: Matching Self-Test
Part 3: Multiple-Choice Self-Test
The Mammillary Bodies are the largest and most distinct of the hypothalamic regions, located in the rear portion of the hypothalamus. This region is implicated in memory function.
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The mammillary bodies receive information from the hippocampus and are reciprocally connected to the anterior thalamic nucleus and the midbrain. These structures seem to play an important role in the memory process. The first clue to this role came from the study of patients suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome; a condition that results from brain damage due to thiamine deficiency in long-term alcoholism. Thiamine (Vitamin B1) is necessary for brain cells in the process of using glucose, the sole source of energy for the nervous system. Under conditions of chronic thiamine deficiency, cells with the highest metabolic needs are most susceptible to death. Korsakoff's syndrome is associated with cell shrinkage in a particular nucleus of the thalamus and the mammillary bodies, and is distinguished by apathy, confusion, and a deficit in storing new information (anterograde amnesia).