The internal capsule is a

white matter White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that are mainly made up of myelinated axons, also called tracts. Long thought to be passive tissue, white matter affects learning and brain functions, modulating the distribution ...

structure situated in the inferomedial part of each

cerebral hemisphere The vertebrate cerebrum (brain) is formed by two cerebral hemispheres that are separated by a groove, the longitudinal fissure. The brain can thus be described as being divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres. Each of these hemispheres ...

of the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

. It carries information past the

basal ganglia The basal ganglia (BG), or basal nuclei, are a group of subcortical nuclei, of varied origin, in the brains of vertebrates. In humans, and some primates, there are some differences, mainly in the division of the globus pallidus into an extern ...

, separating the

caudate nucleus The caudate nucleus is one of the structures that make up the corpus striatum, which is a component of the basal ganglia in the human brain. While the caudate nucleus has long been associated with motor processes due to its role in Parkinson's di ...

and the

thalamus The thalamus (from Greek θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter located in the dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of the forebrain). Nerve fibers project out of the thalamus to the cerebral cortex in all directions, ...

from the

putamen The putamen (; from Latin, meaning "nutshell") is a round structure located at the base of the forebrain (telencephalon). The putamen and caudate nucleus together form the dorsal striatum. It is also one of the structures that compose the basal n ...

and the

globus pallidus The globus pallidus (GP), also known as paleostriatum or dorsal pallidum, is a subcortical structure of the brain. It consists of two adjacent segments, one external, known in rodents simply as the globus pallidus, and one internal, known in rod ...

. The internal capsule contains both ascending and descending axons, going to and coming from the

cerebral cortex The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. The cerebral cortex mostly consists of the six-layered neocortex, with just 10% consisting of ...

. It also separates the caudate nucleus and the putamen in the dorsal

striatum The striatum, or corpus striatum (also called the striate nucleus), is a nucleus (a cluster of neurons) in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain. The striatum is a critical component of the motor and reward systems; receives glutamate ...

, a brain region involved in motor and reward pathways. The

corticospinal tract The corticospinal tract is a white matter motor pathway starting at the cerebral cortex that terminates on lower motor neurons and interneurons in the spinal cord, controlling movements of the limbs and trunk. There are more than one million neur ...

constitutes a large part of the internal capsule, carrying motor information from the

primary motor cortex The primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4) is a brain region that in humans is located in the dorsal portion of the frontal lobe. It is the primary region of the motor system and works in association with other motor areas including premotor co ...

to the

lower motor neurons Lower motor neurons (LMNs) are motor neurons located in either the anterior grey column, anterior nerve roots (spinal lower motor neurons) or the cranial nerve nuclei of the brainstem and cranial nerves with motor function (cranial nerve lower m ...

in the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the spi ...

. Above the basal ganglia the corticospinal tract is a part of the

corona radiata In neuroanatomy, the corona radiata is a white matter sheet that continues inferiorly as the internal capsule and superiorly as the centrum semiovale. This sheet of both ascending and descending axons carries most of the neural traffic from and ...

. Below the basal ganglia the tract is called

cerebral crus The cerebral crus (crus cerebri) is the Anatomical terms of location, anterior portion of the cerebral peduncle which contains the motor tracts, travelling from the cerebral cortex to the pons and spine. The plural of which is cerebral crura. In ...

(a part of the

cerebral peduncle The cerebral peduncles are the two stalks that attach the cerebrum to the brainstem. They are structures at the front of the midbrain which arise from the ventral pons and contain the large ascending (sensory) and descending (motor) nerve tra ...

) and below the

pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other bipeds lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of Va ...

it is referred to as the corticospinal tract.

Structure

The internal capsule consists of three parts and is V-shaped when cut horizontally, in a

transverse plane The transverse plane (also known as the horizontal plane, axial plane and transaxial plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into Anatomical terms of location#Superior and inferior, superior and inferior sections. It is perpendicula ...

. * the bend in the V is called the '' genu'' * the anterior limb or ''crus anterius'' is the part in front of the genu, between the head of the

and the

lenticular nucleus The lentiform nucleus, or lenticular nucleus, comprises the putamen and the globus pallidus within the basal ganglia. With the caudate nucleus, it forms the dorsal striatum. It is a large, lens-shaped mass of gray matter just lateral to the inte ...

* the posterior limb or ''crus posterius'' is the part behind the genu, between the thalamus and lenticular nucleus * the ''retrolenticular portion'' is caudal to the lenticular nucleus and carries the

optic radiation In neuroanatomy, the optic radiation (also known as the geniculocalcarine tract, the geniculostriate pathway, and posterior thalamic radiation) are axons from the neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus to the primary visual cortex. The optic ...

(from medial part of lateral geniculate nucleus) also known as the ''geniculocalcarine tract.'' The fiber from lateral part of lateral geniculate nucleus is carried through the ''retrolenticular portion.'' * the ''sublenticular portion'' is beneath the lenticular nucleus and are tracts involved in the auditory pathway from the

medial geniculate nucleus The medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) or medial geniculate body (MGB) is part of the auditory thalamus and represents the thalamic relay between the inferior colliculus (IC) and the auditory cortex (AC). It is made up of a number of sub-nuclei that ...

to the

primary auditory cortex The auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information in humans and many other vertebrates. It is a part of the auditory system, performing basic and higher functions in hearing, such as possible relations to ...

(Brodmann areas 41 and 42)

Genu

The ''genu'' is the flexure of the internal capsule. It is formed by fibers from the corticonuclear tracts. The fibers in this region are named the geniculate fibers; they originate in the motor part of the cerebral cortex and after passing downward through the base of the

with the

cerebrospinal fibers The cerebrospinal fibers, derived from the cells of the motor area of the cerebral cortex, occupy the middle three-fifths of the base; they are continued partly to the nuclei of the motor cranial nerves, but mainly into the pyramids of the medul ...

, undergo

decussation Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...

and end in the motor nuclei of the

cranial nerve Cranial nerves are the nerves that emerge directly from the brain (including the brainstem), of which there are conventionally considered twelve pairs. Cranial nerves relay information between the brain and parts of the body, primarily to and ...

s of the opposite side. It contains the

corticobulbar tract In neuroanatomy, the corticobulbar (or corticonuclear) tract is a two-neuron white matter motor pathway connecting the motor cortex in the cerebral cortex to the medullary pyramids, which are part of the brainstem's medulla oblongata (also called ...

, which carries

upper motor neuron Upper motor neurons (UMNs) is a term introduced by William Gowers in 1886. They are found in the cerebral cortex and brainstem and carry information down to activate interneurons and lower motor neurons, which in turn directly signal muscles t ...

s from the motor cortex to cranial nerve nuclei that mainly govern motion of striated muscle in the head and face.

Anterior limb

The ''anterior limb'' of internal capsule (or frontal part) contains: # fibers running from the

to the

frontal lobe The frontal lobe is the largest of the four major lobes of the brain in mammals, and is located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere (in front of the parietal lobe and the temporal lobe). It is parted from the parietal lobe by a groove betwe ...

# fibers connecting the lentiform and caudate nuclei # fibers connecting the cortex with the

corpus striatum The striatum, or corpus striatum (also called the striate nucleus), is a nucleus (a cluster of neurons) in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain. The striatum is a critical component of the motor and reward systems; receives glutamat ...

# fibers passing from the frontal lobe through the medial fifth of the base of the

to the nuclei pontis # thalami pontine fibers

Posterior limb

The ''posterior limb'' of internal capsule (or occipital part) is the portion of the internal capsule posterior to the genu. The anterior two-thirds of the

occipital The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone overlies the occipital lobes of the cereb ...

part of the internal capsule contains fibers of the

, which arise in the motor area of the

and, passing downward through the middle three-fifths of the base of the

, are continued into the pyramids of the

medulla oblongata The medulla oblongata or simply medulla is a long stem-like structure which makes up the lower part of the brainstem. It is anterior and partially inferior to the cerebellum. It is a cone-shaped neuronal mass responsible for autonomic (involun ...

. The posterior third of the occipital part contains: # sensory fibers, largely derived from the

, though some may be continued upward from the

medial lemniscus In neuroanatomy, the medial lemniscus, also known as Reil's band or Reil's ribbon (for German anatomist Johann Christian Reil), is a large ascending bundle of heavily myelinated axons that decussate (cross) in the brainstem, specifically in the m ...

# the fibers of

, from the lower visual centers to the cortex of the

occipital lobe The occipital lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The name derives from its position at the back of the head, from the Latin ''ob'', "behind", and ''caput'', "head". The occipital lobe is the vi ...

; # acoustic fibers, from the

lateral lemniscus The lateral lemniscus is a tract of axons in the brainstem that carries information about sound from the cochlear nucleus to various brainstem nuclei and ultimately the contralateral inferior colliculus of the midbrain. Three distinct, primarily in ...

to the

temporal lobe The temporal lobe is one of the four Lobes of the brain, major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The temporal lobe is located beneath the lateral fissure on both cerebral hemispheres of the mammalian brain. The temporal lobe ...

# fibers that pass from the occipital and temporal lobes to the

pontine nuclei Pontine may refer to: * Having to do with the pons, a structure located in the brain stem (from ''pons'', "bridge") * Pontine Marshes, a region of Italy near Rome * Pontine Islands The Pontine Islands (, also ; it, Isole Ponziane ) are an ar ...

Blood supply

The superior parts of both the ''anterior and posterior limbs'' and the ''genu'' of the internal capsule are supplied by the

lenticulostriate arteries The lenticulostriate arteries, anterolateral central arteries, or antero-lateral ganglionic branches are a group of small arteries arising from the initial part M1 of the middle cerebral artery that supply the basal ganglia. Structure The lenticul ...

, which are branches of the M1 segment of the

middle cerebral artery The middle cerebral artery (MCA) is one of the three major paired cerebral artery, cerebral arteries that supply blood to the cerebrum. The MCA arises from the internal carotid artery and continues into the lateral sulcus where it then branches an ...

. The inferior half of the ''anterior limb'' is supplied via the

recurrent artery of Heubner The recurrent artery of Heubner, Heubner's artery or distal medial striate artery is an artery in the head. It is named after the German paediatrician Otto Heubner. It is a branch of the anterior cerebral artery. Its vascular territory is the ant ...

, which is a branch of the

anterior cerebral artery The anterior cerebral artery (ACA) is one of a pair of cerebral arteries that supplies oxygenated blood to most midline portions of the frontal lobes and superior medial parietal lobes of the brain. The two anterior cerebral arteries arise from t ...

. The inferior half of the ''posterior limb'' is supplied by the

anterior choroidal artery The anterior choroidal artery originates from the internal carotid artery. However, it may (rarely) arise from the middle cerebral artery. Structure The anterior choroidal artery originates from the distal carotid artery 5 mm after the origin of ...

, which is a branch of the

internal carotid artery The internal carotid artery (Latin: arteria carotis interna) is an artery in the neck which supplies the anterior circulation of the brain. In human anatomy, the internal and external carotids arise from the common carotid arteries, where these b ...

. In summary, the blood supply of the internal capsule is * Anterior limb: lenticulostriate branches of

(superior half) and

of the

(inferior half) * Genu: lenticulostriate branches of

* Posterior limb: lenticulostriate branches of

(superior half) and

branch of the

(inferior half) As in many parts of the body, some degree of variation in the blood supply exists. For example, thalamoperforator arteries, which are branches of the

basilar artery The basilar artery () is one of the arteries that supplies the brain with oxygen-rich blood. The two vertebral arteries and the basilar artery are known as the vertebral basilar system, which supplies blood to the posterior part of the circle of W ...

, occasionally supply the inferior half of the posterior limb.

Function

The internal capsule provides passage to ascending and descending fibres running to and from the cerebral cortex. Working anterior to posterior: * The anterior limb of the internal capsule contains: ::1)

Frontopontine fibers The frontopontine fibersKamali A, Kramer LA, Frye RE, Butler IJ, Hasan KM. Diffusion tensor tractography of the human brain cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways: a quantitative preliminary study. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2010 Oct;32(4):809-17. doi: 10.10 ...

project from frontal cortex to the

; ::2)

Thalamocortical radiations In neuroanatomy, thalamocortical radiations are the fibers between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. Structure Thalamocortical (TC) fibers have been referred to as one of the two constituents of the isothalamus, the other being micro neurons ...

are the fibers that connect the medial and

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

nuclei of the thalamus to the

s (these are severed during a

prefrontal lobotomy A lobotomy, or leucotomy, is a form of neurosurgical treatment for psychiatric disorder or neurological disorder (e.g. epilepsy) that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex. The surgery causes most of the connections to ...

). * The genu contains corticobulbar fibers, which run between the

cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...

and the

brainstem The brainstem (or brain stem) is the posterior stalk-like part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. In the human brain the brainstem is composed of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. The midbrain is cont ...

. * The posterior limb of the internal capsule contains corticospinal fibers, sensory fibers (including the

and the anterolateral system) from the body and a few corticobulbar fibers. Other fibers within the internal capsule: * The retrolenticular part contains fibers from the optic system, coming from the

lateral geniculate nucleus In neuroanatomy, the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN; also called the lateral geniculate body or lateral geniculate complex) is a structure in the thalamus and a key component of the mammalian visual pathway. It is a small, ovoid, ventral projec ...

of the

. More posteriorly, this becomes the

. Some fibers from the

(which carry auditory information) also pass in the retrolenticular internal capsule, but most are in the sublenticular part. * The sublenticular part contains fibers connecting with the temporal lobe. These include the

auditory radiation The acoustic radiations or auditory radiations are structures found in the brain, in the ventral cochlear pathway, a part of the auditory system. Acoustic radiation arising in the medial geniculate nucleus and end in primary auditory cortex (tr ...

s and

temporopontine fibers In the human nervous system the temporopontine fibers,Kamali A, Kramer LA, Frye RE, Butler IJ, Hasan KM. Diffusion tensor tractography of the human brain cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways: a quantitative preliminary study. J Magn Reson Imaging. 201 ...

Clinical significance

The lenticulostriate arteries supply a substantial amount of the internal capsule. These small vessels are particularly vulnerable to narrowing in the setting of chronic hypertension and can result in small, punctate

infarction Infarction is tissue death (necrosis) due to inadequate blood supply to the affected area. It may be caused by artery blockages, rupture, mechanical compression, or vasoconstriction. The resulting lesion is referred to as an infarct (from the ...

s or intraparenchymal haemorrhage due to vessel rupture. Lesions of the genu of the internal capsule affect fibers of the

. The primary motor cortex sends its axons through the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Lesions, therefore, result in a contralateral

hemiparesis Hemiparesis, or unilateral paresis, is weakness of one entire side of the body (''wikt:hemi-#Prefix, hemi-'' means "half"). Hemiplegia is, in its most severe form, complete paralysis of half of the body. Hemiparesis and hemiplegia can be caused ...

or hemiplegia. While symptoms of weakness due to an isolated lesion of the posterior limb can initially be severe, recovery of motor function is sometimes possible due to spinal projections of premotor cortical regions that are contained more rostrally in the internal capsule.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Rostral basal ganglia and associated structures