Mesencephalon

Last edited and medically reviewed by Alaric Steinmetz on 30.10.2022

Synonyms: Mittelhirn

The mesencephalon is part of the brainstem and lies between the pons and diencephalon.

Anatomy

The cerebral peduncles are located ventrally, and the tegmentum extends dorsally, continuing further dorsally into the tectum with the quadrigeminal plate (lamina tecti). The quadrigeminal plate consists of the two superior colliculi (colliculi superiores) and the two inferior colliculi (colliculi inferiores). The mesencephalon is traversed by the cerebral aqueduct (aqueductus mesencephali), which connects the third ventricle with the fourth ventricle.

Figure

Schematic sectional anatomy of the mesencephalon — Schematic illustration of the structures of the mesencephalon. Image adapted from Wikimedia Commons under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Schematic illustration of the vein of Rosenthal — Schematic illustration of the mesencephalon and the anatomically adjacent veins. Image adapted from R. S. Tubbs et al. 2015.

Imaging

Midbrain MRI — Axial slice at the level of the midbrain on MRI (T1 sequence).

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