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Topic

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Tail of caudate nucleus

The tail of the caudate nucleus is a slender, elongated structure in the brain’s basal ganglia system, located posterior and inferior to the body of the caudate. It follows a curved trajectory, arching down and forward within the temporal lobe, closely abutting the lateral ventricle and amygdala. As a critical part of the caudate nucleus, its structure and integrity are vital for various neurological functions, especially those related to motor and cognitive processes. Understanding its anatomy, vascular supply, and radiological appearance is essential in neuroradiology and clinical neurology.

Synonyms

  • Caudate tail

  • Caudal portion of caudate nucleus

  • Cauda nuclei caudati (Latin)

Function

  • Participates in cognitive processes, including learning, memory, and emotion

  • Plays a role in motor regulation as part of the basal ganglia circuit

  • Involved in inhibitory control and modulation of movement

  • Interacts with limbic structures, contributing to emotional processing

Arterial Supply

  • Primarily supplied by the anterior choroidal artery (branch of the internal carotid artery)

  • Also receives small branches from the lateral lenticulostriate arteries (from the middle cerebral artery)

  • Occasionally, perforating branches from the posterior cerebral artery may contribute

Venous Drainage

  • Drained mainly by the internal cerebral vein

  • Also receives drainage from small tributaries connecting to the basal vein of Rosenthal

MRI Appearance

  • T1-weighted:

    • Appears as isointense to slightly hypointense compared to surrounding white matter

  • T2-weighted:

    • Hyperintense relative to white matter; easily delineated next to the lateral ventricle

  • FLAIR:

    • Similar to T2, with hyperintensity; may enhance the contrast between the caudate tail and adjacent CSF

  • Post-contrast T1:

    • No enhancement in normal conditions; enhancement may indicate pathology such as tumor or inflammation

CT Appearance

  • Appears as a gray matter density structure curving around the lateral margin of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle

  • Usually not distinguishable from other parts of the basal ganglia on non-contrast CT due to low contrast resolution

  • May become more apparent in cases of edema, infarction, or hemorrhage

MRI images

Tail of caudate nucleus mri 3t axial image

MRI images

Tail of caudate nucleus mri 3t coronal image