The septum pellucidum is located within the brain. It is a membrane that is functionally like a partition. It is located in the center of the two cerebral hemispheres.
What is the septum pellucidum?
The septum pellucidum is a small region in the front of the brain. It is located at the interface between the hippocampus and the hypothalamus. The location of the septum pellucidum suggests that it is involved in the functional activity of emotional, autonomic, and cognitive memory. The septum pellucidum is clearly visible in a medial view of the brain. It is a membrane composed of glial cells. This is located between the bar, the corpus callosum and the fornix. The septum pellucidum is located in the middle of the two cerebral hemispheres. These are the left and right hemispheres, where various stimulus perception tasks are located and processed. The septum pellucidum is a so-called translucent partition. This is due to the glial cells of the membrane. These are supporting cells, which primarily have an auxiliary function and are involved in the process of self-healing. They have no influence on excitation conduction. Instead, they have important functions for the activity of the brain’s nerve fibers. They support, supply and protect neurons and synapses so that they can perform their services.
Anatomy and structure
The septum pellucidum is located in the inner cerebrum and is small in size. The septum pellucidum is a thin fibrous plate located in the medial wall of the cerebrum, the telencephalon. The septum lies below the bar. This is the corpus callosum. It connects the two cerebral hemispheres, providing an exchange of information between the two hemispheres. The corpus callosum runs from front to back through the brain and is located in the center of the head. Directly below the corpus callosum is the septum pellucidum. It covers only a small portion of the anterior area of the corpus callosum. The septum spans between the bar and the fornix. The latter is located below the septum pellucidum. The fornix spans the roof of the III ventricle, the tela choridea. The septum pellucidum is a partition between the anterior horns of the right and left lateral ventricles. Because it is composed of glial cells, the septum pellucidum is also called the glial membrane. On each side, the membrane forms the medial wall of the cornu frontale of the lateral ventricle. It is through its ventricle that the connection to the frontal lobes of the brain is formed. Thus, it structurally belongs to the limbic system at this point.
Function and tasks
The main function of the septum pellucidum is to separate the two hemispheres from each other. The information processing of the different stimulus perception is divided between the cerebral hemispheres. The brain works on the principle of dorsal and ventral processing. According to this, the brain does not distinguish what kind of stimulus is perceived, but where it arrives in the brain. On the way from the perception of the stimulus to the brain, it is converted into an electrical signal and this is identified. To ensure this functionality sufficiently, the initial stimulus processing is divided within the two hemispheres. Only when it is sufficiently localized and analyzed does the exchange of information between the cerebral hemispheres occur. This takes place via the bar. The corpus callosum is the only place in the brain where the cerebral hemispheres are connected. The surrounding regions, as well as the septum pellucidum, have the task of separating the hemispheres. Thus, the septum pellucidum has a comparable function to the falx cerebri. Furthermore, the septum callosum with its glial cells takes on an additional function. Glial cells have supporting as well as supplying functions. They are important in the defense function and help the organism in healing processes. They are assigned a helping as well as supporting role. Glial cells make up almost 90% of the total cells in the central nervous system and are also known as neuroglia.
Diseases
Impairments and lesions of the septum pellucidum can occur as a result of accidents, a fall, or after surgical intervention. Inflammation or circulatory disturbances in the hemispheres, corpus callosum, or fornix affect the functioning of the septum pellucidum.If pressure develops in the brain at one point, it cannot escape due to the given shape of the skull. Other areas of the brain have to give way due to swelling, such as in tumors. A swollen brain mass causes other parts of the brain to become trapped and can no longer be adequately supplied. Since the septum plays an important role in protecting as well as supplying the surrounding brain regions, it can cause these arela to be unable to perform their tasks adequately as a result. The septum pellucidum contains various chemical messengers. One of these is the hormone vasopressin. This hormone, produced in the posterior pituitary lobes, has important functions in social as well as sexual behavior. In this part of the brain it regulates the fever response. Reduction of fever is significantly dependent on the septum. For this reason, the septum pellucidum is included in the antipyretic area. Since the septum is structurally part of the limbic system, it stands to reason that failures and limitations of the septum also affect the supply to the limbic system. The limbic system is the central agency in the processing of emotions.
