The diencephalon is derived from the posterior portion of the prosencephalon (forebrain)and rests on top of the midbrain. It is divided into symmetrical halves by the slit-lie 3rd ventricle and its lateral surfaces are surrounded by white matter (the internal capsule). The superior surface of the diencephalon forms the floor of the central part of the lateral ventricles. The four divisions of the diencephalon are [in descending size] the thalamus (aka the dorsal thalamus), the hypothalamus, the subthalamus, and the epithalamus. In this lab (6) we study the thalamus and then study the hypothalamus and epithalamus in the last lab (8). The subthalamus was studied in the previous lab (5) as part of the basal ganglia circuitry.
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