Lentiform nucleus

The lentiform nucleus is lateral to the caudate nucleus and thalamus, and is seen only in sections of the hemisphere. When divided horizontally, it exhibits, to some extent, the appearance of a biconvex lens, while a coronal section of its central part presents a somewhat triangular outline. It is shorter than the caudate nucleus and does not extend as far forward. It is bounded laterally by a lamina of white substance called the external capsule, and lateral to this is a thin layer of gray substance termed the claustrum. Its anterior end is continuous with the lower part of the head of the caudate nucleus and with the anterior perforated substance.

In a coronal section through the middle of the lentiform nucleus, two medullary laminæ are seen dividing it into three parts. The lateral and largest part is of a reddish color, and is known as the putamen, while the medial and intermediate are of a yellowish tint, and together constitute the globus pallidus; all three are marked by fine radiating white fibers, which are most distinct in the putamen.

The gray substance of the corpus striatum is traversed by nerve fibers, some of which originate in it. The cells are multipolar, both large and small; those of the lentiform nucleus contain yellow pigment. The caudate and lentiform nuclei are not only directly continuous with each other anteriorly, but are connected to each other by numerous fibers. The corpus striatum is also connected: to the cerebral cortex, by what are termed the corticostriate fibers; to the thalamus, by fibers which pass through the internal capsule, and by a strand named the ansa lentiformis; to the cerebral peduncle, by fibers which leave the lower aspect of the caudate and lentiform nuclei.