Subcommissural organ

Subcommissural organ
Right midline aspect of a human brain sectioned in the median sagittal plane. The subcommissural organ is not labeled, but the region is visible near the pineal gland.
Details
Identifiers
Latinorganum subcommissurale
MeSHD013351
NeuroNames483
NeuroLex IDbirnlex_1028
TA98A14.1.08.511
TA25783
FMA72414
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The subcommissural organ (SCO) is one of the circumventricular organs of the brain. It is a small glandular structure[1] that is located in the posterior region of the third ventricle, near the entrance of the cerebral aqueduct.

The subcommissural organ of a mouse.
A photomicrograph of the subcommissural organ in a mouse brain (view from the front). The lightly stained columns projecting toward the center are the apical extensions of the ependymal cells. The posterior commissure is at the top of the photo, and the space below the SCO is part of the third ventricle, which is lined with ependymal cells. Cell nuclei are stained blue. The scale bar = 50 microns (0.05 mm).

The name of the SCO comes from its location beneath the posterior commissure, a bundle of nerve fibers interconnecting parts of the two hemispheres of the brain. The SCO is one of the first differentiated brain structures to develop.[1] Although it is evolutionarily an ancient structure that is present throughout the chordate phylum, its arrangement varies somewhat among species.[1] Functions of the SCO are unknown; some evidence indicates it may participate in clearance of certain compounds from the cerebrospinal fluid, and possibly in morphogenetic mechanisms, such as development of the posterior commissure.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b c d Rodríguez EM, Rodríguez S, Hein S (April 1998). "The subcommissural organ". Microscopy Research and Technique. 41 (2): 98–123. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0029(19980415)41:2<98::AID-JEMT2>3.0.CO;2-M. PMID 9579598. S2CID 358861.
  2. ^ Oksche A, Rodríguez EM, Llebrez PF (1993). Oksche A, Rodríguez EM, Fernández-Llebrez P (eds.). The Subcommissural Organ: An Ependymal Brain Gland. Berlin: Springer Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-78013-4. ISBN 978-3-540-56336-5. OCLC 27681500. S2CID 36028700.[page needed]