The third ventricle is the narrow midline cavity of the diencephalon, between the paired thalami and adjoining the hypothalamus. It contains cerebrospinal fluid and forms part of the ventricular system. The lateral ventricles communicate with it through the interventricular foramina; the cerebral aqueduct connects it to the fourth ventricle.[ref]
This cavity is more than a passive container. A 2016 study of mouse third ventricles found organized groups of cilia producing a network of cerebrospinal fluid flows, including a periodically changing pattern. Related complex flows were observed in rat and pig third ventricles.[ref]
Cilia-based flow network in the brain ventricles by Regina Faubel and others. Abstract; ciliary modules and time-dependent flow
An opening specifies a possible route between cavities; local cilia-driven transport specifies how material moves within a cavity. A single well-mixed compartment model can therefore conceal spatial differences in the delivery of signaling molecules.
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