In this video I want to discuss the ventricles of the brain.
The ventricles are fluid filled chambers within the cerebrum of the brain.
Now we have technically for ventricles in the brain.
We have two lateral ventricles, we have a third ventricle, and a fourth ventricle, but
they are all interconnected.
In this model I can see this large curling rans horn type structure represents one of
the lateral ventricles.
That lateral ventricle begins in the frontal lobe of the brain as the anterior horn of
the lateral ventricle, and it circles down and as it is coming down it comes a little
bit lateral and then it sweeps forward again as the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle.
That is found within the temporal lobe of our brain.
This portion was passing through the parietal lobe of the brain.
And as we pass the occipital lobe of the brain we send out what is called the posterior horn
of that lateral ventricle.
So the anterior horn, the posterior horn, and the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle.
Now if I rotate this so that we can look at it from a straight on view, we can see that
it does move laterally as it goes back, and then comes back forward and medially again.
Right down the middle of this model we can see what it's called the third ventricle,
and the third ventricle is connected to the two lateral ventricles by a little area known
as the interventricular foramen.
Now on this model we must realize that this was a fluid filled space within the brain.
So this is a negative image.
We have taken that fluid, and essentially solidified the fluid and removed the actual
tissue.
So you are looking at a negative image.
So what you see here represents the fluid of the ventricles.
The ventricles are now gone.
Between these two lateral ventricles and the third ventricle there is a very narrow area
right here known as the interventricular foramen.
The interventricular foramen, sometimes called of Munro.
And then we have a midline third ventricle.
We also have a midline fourth ventricle.
I'm going to take a posterior view of this and we can see the fourth ventricle a little
bit better.
Here's a posterior view of our fourth ventricle.
Now the fourth ventricle is connected to the third ventricle by what is known as the cerebral
aqueduct.
Sometimes known as the cerebral aqueduct of Sylvius.
So two lateral ventricles, a midline third ventricle, connected to the lateral ventricles
by the interventricular foramen.
A midline fourth ventricle which was connected to the midline third ventricle by the cerebral
aqueduct, or the aqueduct of Sylvius.
The fourth ventricle is then continuous with the spinal cord via the central canal.
But we can also see the fourth ventricle widens into what are called lateral recesses.
Cerebrospinal fluid is made within the ventricles of the brain.
But we want to get that cerebrospinal fluid outside of the brain and spinal cord deep
within the meninges, or at least within the durum mater in the arachnoid mater.
At the ends of the lateral recesses we have what are known as the lateral apertures.
That is where the cerebrospinal fluid can leave the ventricle system and become a subdural
fluid.
Now there are other apertures associated with the fourth ventricle but they are not represented
on this model.
So there we see a good three dimensional aspect of the ventricles of the brain.
Realize there are four ventricles.
Two lateral ventricles, a midline third ventricle, and a midline fourth ventricle, all interconnected