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Cerebral aqueduct: anatomy, location and function

The cerebral aqueduct (of Sylvius) is a narrow channel carrying cerebrospinal fluid from the third to the fourth ventricle. It provides the only connection for CSF flow between the third and fourth ventricles.

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Highlighted in the model: Cerebral aqueduct. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Cerebral aqueduct at a glance

What it is
The cerebral aqueduct (of Sylvius) is a narrow channel carrying cerebrospinal fluid from the third to the fourth ventricle.
Location
It passes through the midbrain, between the tectum behind and the tegmentum in front, surrounded by periaqueductal grey matter.
Function
It provides the only connection for CSF flow between the third and fourth ventricles.
Body system
Nervous · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA78467 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • About 1.5 to 2 cm long.
  • Very narrow, so easily obstructed.

Clinical relevance

Aqueductal stenosis blocks CSF flow and causes obstructive hydrocephalus.

Structures next to the cerebral aqueduct

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Cerebral aqueduct (FMA78467). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §12.1 Basic Structure and Function of the Nervous System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.