Fig. 1.

A Semi-schematic diagram showing the major afferent and efferent connections of the mammillary bodies. Mammillary body inputs are represented by green arrows: The medial mammillary nuclei, comprising pars medialis (MM) and pars lateralis (ML) subdivisions, receive input from the dorsal subiculum (via the descending postcommisural fornix (dPCF)) and prefrontal cortex, and have reciprocal connections with the ventral tegmental nuclei of Gudden (VTG), via the mammillary peduncle (mp; VTg/DTG → mammillary bodies) and the mammillotegmental tract (mtg; mammillary bodies → VTG/DTG). The lateral mammillary nuclei are innervated by the postsubiculum and the dorsal tegmental nuclei of Gudden (DTG) via the same respective pathways. In addition, both medial and lateral mammillary body nuclei receive inputs from the medial septum; Anterior thalamic nuclei inputs are represented by red arrows: The major efferent projection of the mammillary bodies is to the anterior thalamic nuclei, via the mammillothalamic tract (MTT). Anterodorsal (AD) and laterodorsal (LD) thalamic nuclei both receive postsubicular inputs while the dorsal subiculum projects to the anteroventral (AV) and anteromedial (AM) thalamic nuclei, all of which are largely via the fornix. In turn, AM has reciprocal connections with the prefrontal cortex. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)