habenula

[huh-ben-yuh-luh]

noun

Anatomy.

plural

habenulae 

1. a narrow bandlike structure, as the stalk attaching the pineal gland to the thalamus.

Other Word Forms

• habenular adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of habenula¹

1875–80; < Latin: small strip of skin, equivalent to habēn ( a ) strap, thong, rein (derivative of habēre to have, hold, possess; able, habit ¹ ) + -ula -ule

Example Sentences

The gene proved very active in the habenula, a region of the cichlid’s brain that registers fear and instigates movement.

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Employing patch-clamp electrophysiology, researchers elucidated changes in neuronal excitability in the medial habenula and ventral tegmental area based on nicotine dosage and sex.

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The habenula, for its part, clearly acts as a kind of "satnav," showing the fish where it can locate a comfortable temperature and guiding it straight back there.

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Deactivating the habenula region robs the fish of its ability to find its way around and forces it to adopt a different search strategy similar to bacteria and other single-celled organisms: it swims in a straight line for a while and then checks whether the temperature has changed to its liking.

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The habenula might potentially store its location, enabling it to reconstruct sequences of movement.

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