Mammillothalamic tract

{{Infobox anatomy

| Name = Mammillothalamic tract

| Latin = tractus mammillothalamicus

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The mammillothalamic tract (MMT) (also mammillary fasciculus, mammillothalamic fasciculus, thalamomammillary fasciculus, bundle of Vicq d'Azyr) is an efferent pathway of the mammillary bodies which project to the anterior nuclei of the thalamus. The mammillothalamic tract is part of the Papez circuit (involved in spatial memory), starting and finishing in the hippocampus.Shah, A., Jhawar, S. S., & Goel, A. (2012). Analysis of the anatomy of the Papez circuit and adjoining limbic system by fiber dissection techniques. [Article]. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 19(2), 289-298. {{doi|10.1016/j.jocn.2011.04.039}}. The fibers of the MMT are heavily myelinated.{{Cite book |last=Patestas |first=Maria A. |title=A Textbook of Neuroanatomy |last2=Gartner |first2=Leslie P. |date= |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-118-67746-9 |edition=2nd |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |pages=434}}{{cite journal|pmc=4462591|year=2015|last1=Dillingham|first1=C. M|title=How do mammillary body inputs contribute to anterior thalamic function?|journal=Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews|volume=54|pages=108–119|last2=Frizzati|first2=A|last3=Nelson|first3=A. J|last4=Vann|first4=S. D|doi=10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.025|pmid=25107491}}{{cite journal|pmc=2936113|year=2010|last1=Aggleton|first1=J. P|title=Hippocampal–anterior thalamic pathways for memory: Uncovering a network of direct and indirect actions|journal=European Journal of Neuroscience|volume=31|issue=12|pages=2292–2307|last2=O'Mara|first2=S. M|last3=Vann|first3=S. D|last4=Wright|first4=N. F|last5=Tsanov|first5=M|last6=Erichsen|first6=J. T|doi=10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07251.x|pmid=20550571}}

It arises from the medial and lateral nuclei of the mammillary bodies, and from fibers that are directly continued from the fornix of the hippocampus.{{cite journal|pmc=4462591|year=2015|last1=Dillingham|first1=C. M|title=How do mammillary body inputs contribute to anterior thalamic function?|journal=Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews|volume=54|pages=108–119|last2=Frizzati|first2=A|last3=Nelson|first3=A. J|last4=Vann|first4=S. D|doi=10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.025|pmid=25107491}}{{cite journal|pmc=2936113|year=2010|last1=Aggleton|first1=J. P|title=Hippocampal–anterior thalamic pathways for memory: Uncovering a network of direct and indirect actions|journal=European Journal of Neuroscience|volume=31|issue=12|pages=2292–2307|last2=O'Mara|first2=S. M|last3=Vann|first3=S. D|last4=Wright|first4=N. F|last5=Tsanov|first5=M|last6=Erichsen|first6=J. T|doi=10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07251.x|pmid=20550571}} It connects the mammillary bodies to the dorsal tegmental nuclei, the ventral tegmental nuclei, and the anterior thalamic nuclei.{{cite book|author=Haines DE|year=2003|title=Neuroanatomy: Atlas of Structures, Sections, and Systems, 6th ed (page 148)|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=978-0781746779|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xP-kmKiziAQC&pg=PA148}}