The underside of the brain has many distinct anatomical features. The nerves emerging from the brainstem are the cranial nerves. The optic chiasm, just anterior to the hypothalamus, is where many axons from the eyes cross from one side to the other ('decussate'). The bundles of axons anterior to the chiasm, which come from the backs of the eyes, are the optic nerves. The bundles which lie posterior to the chiasm, and disappear into the thalamus, are called the optic tracts. The paired mammillary bodies (from the Latin word for 'nipple') are a prominent feature of the ventral surface of the brain. These nuclei of the hypothalamus are part of the circuitry that stores memory and are a major target of the axons of the fornix.
Mammillary body
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