HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In the
brain The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...
, the interventricular foramina (foramina of Monro) are channels that connect the paired
lateral ventricle The lateral ventricles are the two largest ventricular system, ventricles of the brain and contain cerebrospinal fluid. Each cerebral hemisphere contains a lateral ventricle, known as the left or right lateral ventricle, respectively. Each later ...
s with the
third ventricle The third ventricle is one of the four connected cerebral ventricles of the ventricular system within the mammalian brain. It is a slit-like cavity formed in the diencephalon between the two thalami, in the midline between the right and lef ...
at the midline of the brain. As channels, they allow
cerebrospinal fluid Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless Extracellular fluid#Transcellular fluid, transcellular body fluid found within the meninges, meningeal tissue that surrounds the vertebrate brain and spinal cord, and in the ventricular system, ven ...
(CSF) produced in the lateral ventricles to reach the third ventricle and then the rest of the brain's
ventricular system In neuroanatomy, the ventricular system is a set of four interconnected cavities known as cerebral ventricles in the brain. Within each ventricle is a region of choroid plexus which produces the circulating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The ventric ...
. The walls of the interventricular foramina also contain
choroid plexus The choroid plexus, or plica choroidea, is a plexus of cells that arises from the tela choroidea in each of the ventricles of the brain. Regions of the choroid plexus produce and secrete most of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the central ...
, a specialized CSF-producing structure, that is continuous with that of the lateral and third ventricles above and below it.


Structure

The interventricular foramina are two holes (, pl. ''foramina'') that connect the left and the right
lateral ventricle The lateral ventricles are the two largest ventricular system, ventricles of the brain and contain cerebrospinal fluid. Each cerebral hemisphere contains a lateral ventricle, known as the left or right lateral ventricle, respectively. Each later ...
s to the third ventricle. They are located on the underside near the midline of the lateral ventricles, and join the third ventricle where its roof meets its anterior surface. In front of the foramen is the fornix and behind is the
thalamus The thalamus (: thalami; from Greek language, Greek Wikt:θάλαμος, θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral wall of the third ventricle forming the wikt:dorsal, dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of ...
. The foramen is normally crescent-shaped, but rounds and increases in size depending on the size of the lateral ventricles.


Development

The development and shape of the ventricular system relates to the differential development of different parts of the brain, with the ventricular system ultimately arising from the
neural tube In the developing chordate (including vertebrates), the neural tube is the embryonic precursor to the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The neural groove gradually deepens as the neural folds become elevated, ...
. The lateral ventricles remain connected to the third ventricle throughout development, themselves developing as outpouchings from the third ventricle. The foramina develop slowly in a forward and outward direction as the fornix grows in size.


Function

The interventricular foramina connect the
lateral ventricle The lateral ventricles are the two largest ventricular system, ventricles of the brain and contain cerebrospinal fluid. Each cerebral hemisphere contains a lateral ventricle, known as the left or right lateral ventricle, respectively. Each later ...
s to the
third ventricle The third ventricle is one of the four connected cerebral ventricles of the ventricular system within the mammalian brain. It is a slit-like cavity formed in the diencephalon between the two thalami, in the midline between the right and lef ...
. This allows
cerebrospinal fluid Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless Extracellular fluid#Transcellular fluid, transcellular body fluid found within the meninges, meningeal tissue that surrounds the vertebrate brain and spinal cord, and in the ventricular system, ven ...
produced in the lateral ventricles to reach the third ventricle and then the rest of the brain's
ventricular system In neuroanatomy, the ventricular system is a set of four interconnected cavities known as cerebral ventricles in the brain. Within each ventricle is a region of choroid plexus which produces the circulating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The ventric ...
. The walls of the interventricular foramina contain
choroid plexus The choroid plexus, or plica choroidea, is a plexus of cells that arises from the tela choroidea in each of the ventricles of the brain. Regions of the choroid plexus produce and secrete most of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the central ...
, a specialized structure that produces cerebrospinal fluid. The choroid plexus of the third ventricles continues through the foramina into the lateral ventricles. End branches of the medial posterior choroidal arteries, superior thalamostriate, superior choroid veins and septal veins also pass through the foramina.


Clinical significance

The interventricular foramina give rise to disease when they are narrowed or blocked. Narrowing of the foramen is more common in children and linked to: inflammation and scarring from congenital infections, particularly TORCH infections; developmental abnormalities, including of the
basilar artery The basilar artery (U.K.: ; U.S.: ) 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 o ...
and
choroid plexus The choroid plexus, or plica choroidea, is a plexus of cells that arises from the tela choroidea in each of the ventricles of the brain. Regions of the choroid plexus produce and secrete most of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the central ...
; and abnormal surrounding tissue growths, such as
colloid cyst A colloid cyst is a non-malignant tumor in the brain. It consists of a gelatinous material contained within a membrane of epithelial tissue. It is almost always found just posterior to the foramen of Monro in the anterior aspect of the third v ...
s, subependymal giant-cell tumours, nodules and harmatomas. The most common symptom of blockage is
headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...
; other symptoms include
fainting Syncope , commonly known as fainting or passing out, is a loss of consciousness and muscle strength characterized by a fast onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery. It is caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain, typically from ...
, dementia, and coma, all of which are associated with
obstructive hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with no ...
of the affected side or sides. Hydrocephalus can be identified by a
CT scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...
or
MRI scan Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and ra ...
of the brain, and treatment involves a
neurosurgical Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, s ...
operation in which an
endoscope An endoscope is an inspection instrument composed of image sensor, optical lens, light source and mechanical device, which is used to look deep into the body by way of openings such as the mouth or anus. A typical endoscope applies several modern ...
(i.e., a tiny camera and tools) is used to widen the foramen or create a new opening through the
septum pellucidum The septum pellucidum (Latin for "translucent wall") is a thin, triangular, vertical double membrane separating the anterior horns of the left and right lateral ventricles of the brain. It runs as a sheet from the corpus callosum down to the f ...
between the lateral ventricles. If an obstructing mass is too large or too difficult to remove endoscopically, an open operation or the insertion of an artificial path between the ventricles and peritoneum may be required. Because of the intimate nature of pathways within the brain, such operations may result in damage to nearby structures, with complications including
anterograde amnesia In neurology, anterograde amnesia is the inability to create new memories after an event that caused amnesia, leading to a partial or complete inability to recall the recent past, while long-term memories from before the event remain intact. Thi ...
, inability to move half the body, akinetic mutism and
disconnection syndrome Disconnection syndrome is a general term for a collection of neurological symptoms caused – via lesions to association fiber, associational or commissural fiber, commissural nerve fibres – by damage to the white matter axons of communication p ...
s.


History

The foramina were named after the
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
physician and
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
graduate Alexander Monro, who first described an enlarged foramen in the context of
hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...
in a presentation to the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh in 1764, and subsequently in his 1783 publication, ''Observations on the Structure and Functions of the Nervous System''. In this publication, Monro notes that the ventricular system has been noted to be connected, implying the presence of the foramen, since the time of the physician anatomist
Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...
. Monro described it as: Monro's original description, of two lateral ventricles joined by a foramen that then joined the third ventricle, is in fact incorrect. As noted by Monro himself, previous authors have also described the ventricles as having connections; consequently, the
eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
of "Monro" has been disputed.


References

;Books *


External links

* * {{Authority control Ventricular system