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Mesal aspect of a brain sectioned in the median sagittal plane. Epithalamus labeled in red, by 'habenular commissure', 'pineal body', and 'posterior commissure', with its projection anteriorly consisting stria medullaris
Latin epithalamus
MeSH A08.186.211.577.200
NeuroNames hier-275
NeuroLex ID Epithalamus
TA A14.1.08.002
FMA 62009
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The epithalamus is a (dorsal) posterior segment of the diencephalon. The diencephalon is a part of the forebrain that also contains the thalamus, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.[1] The epithalamus includes the habenula and their interconnecting fibers the habenular commissure, the stria medullaris and the pineal gland.




The epithalamus comprises the habenular trigone, the pineal gland, and the habenular commissure. It is wired with the limbic system and basal ganglia.

Species that possess a photoreceptive parapineal organ show asymmetry in the epithalmus at the habenula, to the left (dorsal).[2]


  1. ^ Klein, Stephen B.; Thorne, B. Michael (Oct 3, 2006). Biological Psychology. Macmillan. p. 579. 
  2. ^ Concha, ML; Wilson, SW (2001). "Asymmetry in the epithalamus of vertebrates". J Anat. 199 (1-2): 63–84. 

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