The Anterior n. is located at the rostral end of the dorsal thalamus (see Lab 6). In stained sections it can be seen to be encapsulated in the bifurcation of the internal medullary lamina, and it underlies the anterior tubercle of the thalamus seen in the brain stem preps. The anterior n. receives the distinctive mammillothalamic tract from the hypothalamus and its cortical region is the cingulate gyrus. Thus it is a key part of the classical Papez circuit of the limbic system.
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