White matter tracts and nuclear groups surrounding the lateral and third ventricles. The C-shaped caudate nucleus and stria terminalis lie within the inner curve of the lateral ventricle.  The head and body of the caudate nucleus lie in the ventrolateral floor of the anterior horn and body, respectively, of the lateral ventricle.  The tapered tail of the caudate extends rostrally within the roof of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle to end just caudal to the amygdala. The stria terminalis is a delicate fiber bundle that carries fibers from the amygdala to the hypothalamus and septal nuclei.  The midline septal region, only partly exposed in this dissection, is located medial to the basal forebrain at the rostral end of the stria terminalis. The stria medullaris thalamus is a fiber pathway of the limbic system and transmits fibers from the septal area and anterior thalamic nuclei to the habenula, a small nuclear mass on the posterior dorsomedial surface of the thalamus. The curvilinear hippocampus, consisting of an expanded head or pes hippocampus, and a tapered tail lies in the ventromedial floor of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle. (Image courtesy of AL Rhoton, Jr.)