Dentate Gyrus, Posterior View

Description

Dentate gyrus contours the medial temporal lobe as a serrated band of gray matter along the hippocampal formation, presented from a posterior perspective that favors its relationship to the hippocampus proper (Cornu Ammonis). The crenated margo denticulatus sits medial to the hippocampal sulcus and lateral to the fimbria of the hippocampus, with the parahippocampal gyrus and subiculum forming the broader medial cortical mantle inferior and lateral to it. Posteriorly, the tail of the hippocampus and adjacent ventricular margin frame the dentate gyrus near the atrium of the lateral ventricle and the choroid fissure. Orientation is unambiguous. Dentate anatomy matters whenever you need to distinguish allocortical components on the medial temporal surface, because the dentate gyrus is the gatekeeper of input into hippocampal circuitry via the perforant pathway from entorhinal cortex. Temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis often alter this region, and granule cell dispersion of the dentate gyrus is a classic histopathologic clue when correlating gross anatomy with surgical specimens from anterior temporal lobectomy or selective amygdalohippocampectomy. Posterior emphasis also helps when teaching how the hippocampal tail transitions toward the splenial region, a frequent source of confusion in sectional anatomy. Neuroanatomy courses and graduate neuroscience lectures will find this illustration useful for labeling exercises that separate dentate gyrus, hippocampus proper, fimbria, and subiculum without relying on coronal sections alone. Medical publishing teams can pair it with MRI or gross specimen figures in chapters on medial temporal lobe epilepsy, memory circuitry, or limbic system anatomy. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.