The fornix is an arched bundle of white matter that is the main output pathway of the hippocampus. Fibres leave the hippocampus as the fimbria, rise as the crura beneath the splenium, join in the body under the corpus callosum and then descend as the columns in front of the third ventricle to end mainly in the mammillary bodies. It forms part of the Papez circuit.
| Location | Medial surface of the hemisphere, arching from the hippocampus under the corpus callosum to the mammillary bodies |
|---|---|
| Parts |
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| Connections |
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| Blood Supply | Anterior cerebral artery (subcallosal branches); Anterior communicating artery (perforating branches); Posterior cerebral artery (choroidal branches) |
Carries signals from the hippocampus to the mammillary bodies, septal area and hypothalamus, supporting memory formation.
Damage to both fornices, for example after surgery for colloid cysts of the third ventricle or tumours, can cause severe difficulty forming new memories. Fornix atrophy is seen in Alzheimer disease. Deep brain stimulation of the fornix has been studied as a treatment for memory decline.
Difficulty forming new memories after bilateral fornix damage.
A cyst near the columns of the fornix that can block the interventricular foramen; surgery may injure the fornix.
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