| nuclei | Plural of nucleus. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| nuclei anteriores thalami | Collective term for three groups of nerve cells which together form the anterior thalamic tubercle: the anteroventral nuclei, a relatively large nucleus; the anteromedial nuclei; and the anterodorsal nuclei, a small (but large-celled) nucleus. The nuclei receive the mamillothalamic tract from the mamillary body, and additional afferents by way of the fornix; they project collectively to the cortex of the cingulate and parahippocampal gyrus. Synonym: nuclei anteriores thalami. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei arcuati | A variable assembly of small cell groups, probably outlying components of the pontine nuclei, on the ventral and medial aspects of the pyramid in the medulla oblongata. Synonym: nuclei arcuati. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei basales | Nucleus of the cerebral hemisphere that originally included the caudate and lenticular nuclei, the claustrum and the amygdaloid body (complex); functionally the term basal nuclei now specifies the caudate and lenticular nuclei and adjacent cell groups having important connections therewith (subthalamic nucleus; substantia nigra, partes compacta and reticulata); amygdaloid complex now known to be part of the limbic system. Synonym: nuclei basales. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei cochleares | The nucleus cochlearis dorsalis and nucleus cochlearis ventralis, located on the dorsal and lateral surface of the inferior cerebellar peduncle, in the floor of the lateral recess of the rhomboid fossa. They receive the incoming fibres of the cochlear part of the vestibulocochlear nerve and are the major source of origin of the lateral lemniscus or central auditory pathway. Synonym: cochlear nuclei, nuclei nervi cochlearis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei corporis mamillaris | A single large-celled lateral nucleus and a larger bipartite medial nucleus together comprising the mamillary body; present in the caudal hypothalamus. Synonym: nuclei corporis mamillaris, nucleus of the mamillary body. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei intralaminares thalami | Collective term denoting several cell groups embedded in the internal medullary lamina of the thalamus: central lateral nucleus, paracentral nucleus, and farthest caudally, the large centromedian nucleus. The first two of these receive afferents from the cerebral cortex, brainstem, reticular formation, cerebellum, and spinal cord, and project more or less diffusely to large regions of the frontal and parietal cortex. See: centromedian nucleus. Synonym: nuclei intralaminares thalami. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei nervi cochlearis | The nucleus cochlearis dorsalis and nucleus cochlearis ventralis, located on the dorsal and lateral surface of the inferior cerebellar peduncle, in the floor of the lateral recess of the rhomboid fossa. They receive the incoming fibres of the cochlear part of the vestibulocochlear nerve and are the major source of origin of the lateral lemniscus or central auditory pathway. Synonym: cochlear nuclei, nuclei nervi cochlearis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei nervi vestibulocochlearis | The combined cochlear and vestibular nuclei in the brainstem that receive the incoming fibres of the eighth cranial nerve. See: vestibular nucleus. Synonym: nuclei nervi vestibulocochlearis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei nervorum cranialium | Groups of nerve cells associated with the cranial nerves either as motor nuclei (nuclei originis) or sensory nuclei (nuclei terminationis). Synonym: nuclei nervorum cranialium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei of mamillary body | A single large-celled lateral nucleus and a larger bipartite medial nucleus together comprising the mamillary body; present in the caudal hypothalamus. Synonym: nuclei corporis mamillaris, nucleus of the mamillary body. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei of origin | Collections of motor neurons (forming a continuous column in the spinal cord, discontinuous in the medulla and pons) giving origin to the spinal and cranial motor nerves. Synonym: nuclei originis, motor nuclei. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei originis | Collections of motor neurons (forming a continuous column in the spinal cord, discontinuous in the medulla and pons) giving origin to the spinal and cranial motor nerves. Synonym: nuclei originis, motor nuclei. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei parabrachiales | The cell groups flanking the brachium conjunctivum at levels immediately caudal to the inferior colliculus; they serve as way-stations in the pathways ascending from the nucleus of solitary tract to the thalamus and hypothalamus, and receive afferent fibres from the hypothalamus and amygdaloid body. Synonym: nuclei parabrachiales. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nuclei pontis | The massive gray matter filling the basilar pons. The nuclei are of fairly homogeneous architecture and project to the cortex of the contralateral cerebellar hemisphere by way of the middle cerebellar peduncle. Their main afferents come from the entire extent of the cerebral neocortex by way of the longitudinal pontine bundles (corticopontine fibres); thus, the pontine nuclei form a major way-station in the impulse conduction from the cerebral cortex of one hemisphere to the posterior lobe of the opposite cerebellum. Synonym: nuclei pontis, pontine gray matter. (05 Mar 2000) |