Corpus mamillare
The corpus mamillare also mammillary body or mamillary body (v. Lat. Corpus "body"; v. Lat. Mamilla "nipple") is a paired elevation in primates and unpaired in other mammals on the underside of the brain between the cerebral legs ( crura cerebri ) . It lies at the anterior end of the fornix and belongs to the limbic system .
In its two core areas ( nucleus mamillaris lateralis and medialis ) arise the tractus mamillothalamicus (to the anterior thalamic nuclei ) and the tractus mamillotegmentalis (to the midbrain dome , tegmentum mesencephali ). Fibers from the subiculum in the fornix lead to the corpus mamillare . Some neurons of the corpus mamillare are histaminergic .
In the first functional concept developed for the limbic system, the so-called Papez circle (after James W. Papez ), the corpus mamillare was still its central element. Today it is assumed that the amygdala is predominantly the central core area for emotions . The corpus mamillare probably plays a role in memory processes. Details are not known.
Alcoholism and sleep apnea can lead to degeneration of the corpus mamillare and medial thalamus , which manifests as Korsakoff's syndrome .