A Medley of Midbrain Maladies: A Brief Review of Midbrain Anatomy and Syndromology for Radiologists

Figure 9

Substantia Nigra. The normal substantia nigra anatomy is shown on a myelin stained section. This pigmented band of tissue dorsal to the cerebral peduncle is divided into two zones. The zona compacta represents the dorsal layer and appears slightly brighter on MRI and sectioning (1). The zona reticulata is the more ventrally located zone which is slightly darker in hue (2). The red nucleus (3) and cerebral peduncle (4) are also identified on these images.