subfornical organ
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Function
- it is thought to serve as a chemoreceptor zone involved in cardiovascular regulation
Structure
- a circumventricular organ located in the dorsal aspect of the midline anterior wall of the 3rd ventricle
- it is a prominent feature of coronal sections of the mammalian brain at the level of the interventricular foramen
- it bulges into the 3rd ventricle at the confluence of the 2 interventricular foramina, just ventral to the junction of the 2 fornical columns
- it develops from the dorsal extremity of the lamina terminalis
- the subfornical organ is characterized by the absence of a blood-brain barrier with fenestrated endothelium
Comparative biology
- receptors for angiotensin II & atrial natriuretic hormone have been identified in animal studies