medial habenula - BrainInfo

medial habenula (MHb)

The term medial habenula refers to one of two nuclei that comprise the habenular component of the epithalamus. It is present in the human ( Carpenter-1983 ), macaque ( Paxinos-2009a ), rat ( Swanson-2004 ), and mouse ( Franklin-2008 ). The other is the lateral habenula. Some authors divide the medial habenula of the rat into two parts: dorsal part of the medial habenula and ventral part of the medial habenula. They do not subdivide the lateral habenula ( Swanson-2004 ). Other authors do not subdivide the medial habenula but divide the lateral habenula of the rat ( Paxinos-2009b ) and the mouse ( Franklin-2008 ) into a medial part of the lateral habenula and lateral part of the lateral habenula. Neither nucleus is subdivided in the human ( Carpenter-1983 ) or the macaque ( Paxinos-2009a ). Functionally the habenula belongs to the central gray of the behavior control column ( Swanson-2004 ).

Also known as: medial habenular nucleus, Nucleus habenularis medialis, Nucleus habenularis medialis epithalami, medial habenula, Nucleus habenularis medialis (Hassler), Nucleus habenulae medialis, medial habenula (Nissl)

NeuroNames ID: 296

All Names & Sources

1 of 15

Showing 15 synonym(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 15 synonym(s)

Name:

медиальное ядро поводка

Language:

Russian

Organism:

human

Source:

Baev-2000

Citation:

Moskva: Meditsina, 2000.

Source Title:

Magnitno-Resonansnaia Tomografiia Golovnogo Mozga: Normal'naia Anatomiia

Name:

medial habenular nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1983

Source Title:

Human Neuroanatomy

Name:

medial habenular nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis

Source:

Martin-1997

Citation:

Primate Information Center, University of Washington, Seattle, 1997.

Source Title:

Template Atlas of the Primate Brain

Name:

medial habenular nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Bowden-1997

Citation:

Source Title:

A digital Rosetta stone for primate brain terminology

Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Nomina-1983

Citation:

Fifth Edition, Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1983

Source Title:

Nomina Anatomica

Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

Macaca mulatta

Source:

Olszewski-1952

Citation:

S. Karger, Basel, Switzerland, 1952

Source Title:

The Thalamus Of The Macaca mulatta: An Atlas For Use With The Stereotaxic Instrument

Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis epithalami

Language:

Latin

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis

Source:

Shantha-1968

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1968

Source Title:

A Stereotaxic Atlas Of The Java Monkey Brain (Macaca irus)

Name:

medial habenula

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Bowden-1997

Citation:

Source Title:

A digital Rosetta stone for primate brain terminology

Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis (Hassler)

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Jones-1990

Citation:

Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 1990;54-55:1-20

Source Title:

Correlation and revised nomenclature of ventral nuclei in the thalamus of human and monkey

Name:

Nucleus habenulae medialis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Mai-1997

Citation:

San Diego: Academic Press, 1997

Source Title:

Atlas of the Human Brain

Name:

MHb

Language:

acronym

Organism:

human

Source:

Mai-1997

Citation:

San Diego: Academic Press, 1997

Source Title:

Atlas of the Human Brain

Name:

medial habenula (Nissl)

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Swanson-1998

Citation:

Second Revised Edition, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, 1998

Source Title:

Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain

Name:

Language:

acronym

Organism:

mouse

Source:

Hof-2000

Citation:

Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000

Source Title:

Comparative Cytoarchitectonic Atlas of the C57BL/6 and 129/Sv Mouse Brains

Name:

Language:

acronym

Organism:

rat

Source:

Swanson-2004

Citation:

Third Edition, Elsevier Academic Press, Oxford, 2004

Source Title:

Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain.

Name:

MHb

Language:

acronym

Organism:

Macaca mulatta

Source:

Paxinos-2009a

Citation:

Amsterdam: Elsevier-Academic Press. 2009

Source Title:

The Rhesus Monkey Brain, Second Edition

Illustrations

Showing 4 illustration(s)

labeled line drawings of
sagittal section in
Macaca fascicularis

multiple views of
3D reconstruction in
Macaca mulatta

Nissl stain & diagram of
coronal section in
mouse

Nissl stain & diagram of
sagittal section in
mouse

Species With The Structure

Equivalent By	Human	Macaque	Rat	Mouse
Topology	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Relevant Data Not Located

1 of 10

Showing 10 record(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 10 record(s)

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

medial habenular nucleus

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus habenulae medialis

Source:

Mai-1997

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis

Source:

Nomina-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis (Hassler)

Source:

Jones-1990

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis (Macaca fascicularis)

Their Name:

medial habenular nucleus

Source:

Martin-1997

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis (Macaca fascicularis)

Their Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis epithalami

Source:

Shantha-1968

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca mulatta (Macaca mulatta)

Their Name:

Nucleus habenularis medialis

Source:

Olszewski-1952

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

medial habenula

Source:

Bowden-1997

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

medial habenula (Nissl)

Source:

Swanson-1998

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

medial habenular nucleus

Source:

Bowden-1997

Models Where It Appears

Structural CNS Model - Macaque

Brain structures of the macaque are illustrated in BrainInfo’s NeuroMaps macaque brain atlas. Structures are grouped by proximity in a hierarchy corresponding to the central nervous system hierarchy of NeuroNames ( Bowden-1995 Martin-2000 ). Structures in the NeuroMaps atlas are based on the segmentation of an MRI of the brain of a 3-year old male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The atlas is most useful for targeting structures for implantating electrodes and chemtrodes. Updated 29 Oct 2025.

Functional CNS Model - Rat

The Functional CNS Model - Rat (FMrat) ( Swanson-2004) is one of three hierarchical models representing the internal organization of the central nervous system (CNS). The others are the Structural CNS Model - Human (SThmn) and the Functional CNS Model - Human (FMhmn). The FMrat model represents the basic organization of the mouse ( Hof-2000 AMBA-2024 ) and, presumably, other rodents. Functional CNS models differ from structural models in that structures are defined and named by connectivity rather than by proximity to other structures at the same level. Functional models are more useful for representing longitudinal components of are grouped based on information drawn from multiple neuroscientific disciplines. such as connections, neurochemical characteristics, and role in physiogical and behavioral processes. While the Functional Model was developed primarily for an atlas of the rat brain ( Swanson-2004 ), the hierarchical organization of structures is for the most part applicable to the human, macaque, mouse and other mammalian brains as well. Structures at lower levels of the Functional CNS hierarchy are largely the same as in the Classical and Developmental Models, i.e., they were originally identified by stains for gray matter (Nissl substance) and white matter (myelin). At the next higher level they are grouped into basic connectional and functional systems of the CNS, such as the subcortical sensory systems, the brainstem motor system and the behavioral state system. At the highest levels CNS structures are grouped on the basis of dissection and embryologic precursors into cerebrum ( cerebral cortex and cerebral nuclei ), cerebellum, and cerebrospinal trunk.