Mammillary bodies
The mammillary bodies, also spelled mamillary bodies, form part of the hypothalamus and have a role in memory, although their exact role is yet to be established.
Gross anatomy
The mammillary bodies are round, paired structures that are a relay in the Papez circuit and lie in the inferior hypothalamus. They are separated in the midline by the intermammillary sulcus.
Relations
- superiorly: infundibulum of the third ventricle
- anteriorly: tuber cinereum
- posteriorly: posterior perforated substance
Related pathology
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome: unilateral or bilateral atrophy
- mesial temporal sclerosis
- mamillary body atrophy
