Where it is
- It runs along the outer (lateral) margin of the ventricular surface of the thalamus, marking the line between the thalamus and the caudate nucleus when the lateral ventricles are opened and seen from above. [1]
- It covers the superior thalamostriate vein, which runs in the same groove. [1]
- It reaches from the temporal (inferior) horn of the lateral ventricle to the region of the interventricular foramina. [1]
- In the inferior horn the choroid fissure, where the edge of the choroid plexus is attached, runs between it and the fimbria of the hippocampus. [2]
What it does
- It is a major output pathway of the amygdala, running from the amygdala’s centromedial division to the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. [1]
- It carries fibres from the amygdala to the septal nuclei, the hypothalamus and the thalamus, and fibres from those areas back to the amygdala. [1]
- The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis is thought to act as a relay in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, adjusting its activity in response to acute stress; a sudden fright lasting under ten minutes does not activate it. [1]
- Honest limit: much of the detailed work on the bed nucleus, such as its part in controlling feeding, was done in rodents. [1]
Connections
- The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, a group of nuclei at the base of the lateral ventricles in front of the septum, lies along it; the bed nucleus, the hypothalamic nuclei and the septal nuclei sit close together and share many projections. [1]
- The stria medullaris, the bundle that runs back to the habenula, starts just behind the anterior commissure, where it converges with the fornix and the stria terminalis. [3]
Inside it
- A band of nerve fibres (white matter); the bed nucleus along it is a collection of nuclei, groups of nerve-cell bodies. [1]
Other names
- Also called the terminal stria (Latin stria terminalis). [1]
Size
- On this model the left stria terminalis measures about 43 mm front to back, 31 mm top to bottom and 25 mm side to side (the box it fits in, not its volume); the right one is its mirror image. [4]
- Centre of the left stria terminalis compared with the centre of the left amygdala: 18 mm further back, 15 mm higher, 11 mm closer to the midline; 26 mm apart in a straight line. [4]
- Centre of the left stria terminalis compared with the centre of the left caudate nucleus: 13 mm further back, 3 mm lower, 4 mm closer to the midline; 14 mm apart in a straight line. [4]