Which sequence correctly traces the Papez circuit of emotion, beginning at the hippocampal formation?

• A Hippocampus, stria terminalis, mammillary body, mammillothalamic tract, dorsomedial thalamic nucleus, cingulate gyrus
• B Hippocampus, cingulum, anterior thalamic nucleus, mammillary body, fornix, cingulate gyrus, entorhinal cortex
• C Hippocampus, fornix, anterior thalamic nucleus, mammillary body, mammillotegmental tract, cingulate gyrus, cingulum
• D Hippocampus, fornix, mammillary body, mammillothalamic tract, anterior thalamic nucleus, cingulate gyrus, cingulum, entorhinal cortex ✓

Explanation

The Papez circuit runs from the hippocampal formation through the fornix to the mammillary body, then via the mammillothalamic tract of Vicq d'Azyr to the anterior nucleus of the thalamus, onward to the cingulate gyrus, back through the cingulum bundle to the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. Option B reverses the mammillary body and thalamic steps, and option A substitutes the stria terminalis and dorsomedial nucleus, which belong to amygdala circuits rather than the Papez loop.

Reference: Snell's Clinical Neuroanatomy, 8th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.