Cerebral aqueduct

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Brain: Cerebral aqueduct
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Section through superior colliculus showing path of oculomotor nerve.
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Drawing of a cast of the ventricular cavities, viewed from the side.
Latin aqueductus mesencephali (cerebri).
aqueductus Sylvii
Gray's subject #188 806
NeuroNames hier-500
MeSH Cerebral+Aqueduct

The mesencephalic duct, also known as the aqueductus mesencephali, aqueduct of Sylvius or the cerebral aqueduct, contains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), is within the mesencephalon (or midbrain) and connects the third ventricle in the diencephalon to the fourth ventricle within the region of the mesencephalon and metencephalon, located dorsal to the pons and ventral to the cerebellum.

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Development [edit]

The cerebral aqueduct, similarly to other parts of the ventricular system of the brain, develops from the central canal of the neural tube. Specifically, the duct originates from the portion of the neural tube that is present in the developing mesencephalon, hence the name "mesencephalic duct." [1]

Pathology [edit]

A blockage in this duct is a cause of non-communicating hydrocephalus.

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