Lab 5 (ƒ8) - Higher Motor Function
Gross Anatomy
View and identify the structures in the illustration.
Figure 1, the caudate head and putamen are continuous anteriorly and form the neostriatum. The second image of Figure 1 is more inferior. Notice that at this level the anterior limb of the internal capsule separates the caudate head from the putamen and that the posterior limb of the internal capsule separates the thalamus from the lenticular nucleus (globus pallidus and putamen).
A thin, slightly sinuous strip of gray matter, the claustrum, lies between the lateral boundary of the putamen and the insula, the strip of cortex which lies deep within the lateral fissure. The claustrum is of obscure significance.
The thin strip of white matter between the putamen and claustrum is called the external capsule, and the white matter separating the claustrum from the insular cortex is the extreme capsule. The external and extreme capsules contain association fibers, as compared to the projection fibers within the internal capsule. Identify the structures in the coronal sections (Fig. 2).
