Anterior commissure

Last revised by Rohit Sharma on 12 Jul 2024

The anterior commissure (AC) is a transversely oriented commissural white matter tract that connects the two cerebral hemispheres along the midline. It is a very important anatomical landmark that connects different parts of the limbic system on both sides and plays a role in the interhemispheric transfer of visual, auditory, and olfactory information between temporal lobes 1. However, the role of the anterior commissure is not yet well understood.

Gross anatomy

The anterior commissure corresponds to a white matter tract almost completely surrounded by grey matter (the canal of Gratiolet) that crosses the midline just ventral to the supraoptic recess of the third ventricle and the columns of the fornix.

The anterior commissure is composed of two fascicles (or limbs or crura): an anterior fascicle and posterior fascicle 3. The anterior fascicle is smaller and passes from midline anteriorly to the orbitofrontal cortex 3. The posterior fascicle passes from midline posterolaterally between the putamen and globus pallidus, before then dividing into temporal and parieto-occipital divisions 3. The temporal division of the posterior fascicle ends in the amygdaloid nucleus of the temporal pole bilaterally 2.

See also

Cases and figures

  • Figure 1: neuroanatomy: septal area (diagrams)
  • Figure 2: coronal (Gray's illustrations)
:

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.