Topics

Topic

design image
Hippocampal body

The hippocampal body is the central portion of the hippocampus, a key structure of the medial temporal lobe involved in memory and spatial navigation. It lies between the hippocampal head (anterior) and tail (posterior), extending along the medial aspect of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle. The hippocampal body plays a critical role in encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memories and is highly susceptible to hypoxic-ischemic injury and neurodegenerative diseases.

Synonyms

  • Hippocampus corporis

  • Cornu Ammonis (body portion)

  • Middle hippocampus

  • Central hippocampus

Arterial Supply

  • Primarily by branches of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA), especially the anterior, middle, and posterior hippocampal arteries (arising from the PCA’s P2 segment)

  • Additional small branches from the anterior choroidal artery may contribute

  • The arterial network forms a rich anastomosis along the hippocampal fissure

Venous Drainage

  • Drained mainly by the hippocampal veins

  • These veins drain into the basal vein of Rosenthal

  • Ultimately, venous blood exits via the great cerebral vein (vein of Galen)

Functions

  • Critical for declarative memory formation (episodic and semantic)

  • Involved in spatial memory and navigation

  • Modulates learning and emotional processing

  • Plays a role in neuroplasticity and memory consolidation during sleep

MRI Appearance

  • T2-weighted images:

    • Hippocampal body appears as a well-defined, curved, gray matter structure along the medial temporal lobe

    • High signal intensity relative to white matter

    • Hyperintensity may indicate edema or pathology (e.g., hippocampal sclerosis, encephalitis)

  • T1-weighted images:

    • Hippocampal body is intermediate-to-low signal compared to surrounding white matter

    • Clearly delineated from the adjacent CSF of the temporal horn

  • FLAIR images:

    • Gray matter signal with suppression of CSF in the temporal horn

    • Useful for detecting subtle edema, gliosis, or signal abnormality within the hippocampus

CT Appearance

  • Poorly delineated due to low soft tissue contrast

  • The hippocampal body is visible as a subtle, curved structure in the medial temporal lobe

  • Appears isodense with brain parenchyma

  • Acute infarction or sclerosis may be inferred by indirect signs such as loss of gray-white differentiation or volume loss in chronic stages

MRI images

Hippocampal body mri 3t coronal image

MRI images

Hippocampal body mri 3t sagittal image