The
fornix is a C-shaped bundle of
nerve fibers in the
brain that carries signals from the
hippocampus to the
mammillary bodies and then to the
anterior nuclei of thalamus. The fornix is part of the
limbic system. While its exact function and importance in the physiology of the brain is still not entirely clear, it has been demonstrated in humans that surgical transection – the cutting of the fornix along its body – can cause memory loss. There is some debate over what type of memory is affected by this damage, but it has been found to most closely correlate with
recall memory rather than
recognition memory. This means that damage to the fornix can cause difficulty in recalling long-term information such as details of past events, but it has little effect on the ability to recognize objects or familiar situations.