DIENCEPHALON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does diencephalon mean? 

• DIENCEPHALON (noun)
  The noun DIENCEPHALON has 1 sense:

1. the posterior division of the forebrain; connects the cerebral hemispheres with the mesencephalon

  Familiarity information: DIENCEPHALON used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DIENCEPHALON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The posterior division of the forebrain; connects the cerebral hemispheres with the mesencephalon

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

betweenbrain; diencephalon; interbrain; thalmencephalon

Hypernyms ("diencephalon" is a kind of...):

neural structure (a structure that is part of the nervous system)

Meronyms (parts of "diencephalon"):

corpus mamillare; mamillary body; mammillary body (one of two small round structures on the undersurface of the brain that form the terminals of the anterior arches of the fornix)

infundibulum (any of various funnel-shaped parts of the body (but especially the hypophyseal stalk))

pineal eye; third eye (a sensory structure capable of light reception located on the dorsal side of the diencephalon in various reptiles)

nervus opticus; optic nerve; optic tract; second cranial nerve (the cranial nerve that serves the retina)

hypophysis; pituitary; pituitary body; pituitary gland (the master gland of the endocrine system; located at the base of the brain)

basal ganglion (any of several masses of subcortical grey matter at the base of each cerebral hemisphere that seem to be involved in the regulation of voluntary movement)

thalamus (large egg-shaped structures of grey matter that form the dorsal subdivision of the diencephalon)

hypothalamus (a basal part of the diencephalon governing autonomic nervous system)

Holonyms ("diencephalon" is a part of...):

forebrain; prosencephalon (the anterior portion of the brain; the part of the brain that develops from the anterior part of the neural tube)

 Context examples 

The uppermost portion of the brainstem located between the pons and the diencephalon.

(Mesencephalon, NCI Thesaurus)

Diseases of any component of the brain (including the cerebral hemispheres, diencephalon, brain stem, and cerebellum) or the spinal cord.

(Central Nervous System Disorder, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

The dorsal posterior subdivision of the diencephalon.

(Epithalamus, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A centrally placed component of the ventricular system of the brain located in the diencephalon.

(Murine Third Ventricle of Brain, NCI Thesaurus)

The cavity situated in front of the pons between the temporal lobes over the diencephalon base and where the arachnoid membrane crosses.

(Crural Cistern, NCI Thesaurus)