Figure 36a - Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland Anatomy

Intro

Figure 36a:	Anterior Lobe of the Pituitary | Bone at the base of the Cranial Cavity | Hypothalamus | Membrane Covering around the Brain | Optic Chiasm | Pituitary Stalk | Posterior Lobe of the Pituitary
Figure 36b:	Anterior | Posterior

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Part 3: Multiple-Choice Self-Test

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The Optic Chiasm lies just anterior to the pituitary stalk, the structure that connects the hypothalamus with the pituitary gland. The optic chiasm conveys visual signals from receptor cells of the retina to the lateral geniculate nucleus on the opposite side of the brain (see Tutorial 24).

Due to the close proximity of the optic chiasm to the pituitary gland, the disruption of vision is often an early symptom of pituitary tumors (Parent, 1996).

Parent, A. (1996). Carpenter's human neuroanatomy (9th ed.). London: Williams & Wilkins.