Basal Ganglia and Limbic System Practical Specimens Required:

Station 1: Basal ganglia gross anatomy:

 Mid-sagittal section to illustrate thalamus and head of caudate x 2
 Series of coronal sections to show nuclei of basal ganglia (as per example image).
Highlight: caudate, internal capsule, thalamus, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia
nigra, subthalamic nucleus (if visible). Emphasise which division of the brain each is
associated with.

 Series of transverse sections to show nuclei of basal ganglia (as per example image)
Highlight key basal ganglia structures, but also focus on relation of these structures
to major white matter bundles (e.g. corpus callosum; internal capsule)

 Museum specimens required: B-008 (internal capsule, lentiform nucleus); B-AS002

(axial sections through corpus striatum and internal capsule), B-CS003B (caudate,
lentiform nucleus), B-CS003D (caudate, lentiform, internal capsule, thalamus, SN)

Station 2: Functions and circuitry of the basal ganglia:

 No specimens required; will use diagrams
 Laptop with HDMI cable hooked up to monitor
Open to the following tabs:
Direct pathway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-mhDChCD4Y
Indirect pathway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzcXkvxXKEQ
  Highlight: four major loops of basal ganglia; components of direct versus indirect
pathway; effect of dopamine on D1 vs D2 receptors and consequences for activity of
pathways; changes to pathways in Parkinson’s versus Huntington’s disease

Station 3: Components of the limbic system:

 Whole brain, ventral surface x 2; Highlight: divisions of parahippocampal gyrus;
orbitofrontal cortex; uncus; olfactory bulb
 Midsagittal section x 2; Highlight: thalamus, hypothalamus, septal nuclei, fornix,
mammillary body; habenula (if visible), cingulate gyrus, subcallosal area, isthmus
(follow cingulate gyrus around and down to parahippocampal gyrus); illustrate
approximate subcortical location of hippocampus and amygdala
 Brain model

Station 4: Hippocampus:
 Dissections from the limbic collection, illustrating different view of the hippocampus
in situ (as per example image):

 Coronal section, illustrating hippocampus and adjacent entorhinal cortex (as per
example image):
  Midsagittal brain, focusing on location of fornix
 Highlight: location of hippocampus; dentate gyrus versus CA region; proximity to
entorhinal cortex; connection to fornix
 Museum specimen required: B-CS003E (hippocampus, fornix, fimbria)

Station 5: Amygdala:
 Dissections from the limbic collection, illustrating relationship between amygdala
and hippocampus
 Coronal section, illustrating amygdala (as per example image):

 Highlight: location of amygdala; proximity to hippocampus and other limbic

structures
 Brain model
 Museum specimen required: B-CS003C (hippocampus, amygdala)

Station 6: Papez circuit:

 Mid-sagittal brain x 2
 Coronal section with hippocampus (see Station 4 for example)
 Whole brain, inferior surface x 2
 Highlight: components of Papez circuit, location of each component in relation to
others, how the structures are connected in a logical loop