| OCN | oculomotor nucleus; oncology certified nurse |
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| PPN | partial parenteral nutrition; pedunculopontine nucleus |
| PVN | paraventricular nucleus; predictive value negative |
| RCN | right caudate nucleus; Royal College of Nursing |
| RMC | reticular magnocellular [nucleus]; right middle cerebral [artery] |
| nucleus tractus solitarii | A slender cell column extending sagittally through the dorsal part of the medulla oblongata, beneath the floor of the rhomboid fossa, immediately lateral to the limiting sulcus. It is the visceral sensory (visceral afferent) nucleus of the brainstem, receiving the afferent fibres of the vagus, glossopharyngeal, and facial nerves by way of the solitary tract. The caudal two-thirds of the nucleus processes impulses originating in the pharynx, larynx, intestinal and respiratory tracts, and heart and large blood vessels; its rostral one-third receives impulses from the taste buds and is known as the rhombencephalic gustatory nucleus. Synonym: nucleus tractus solitarii. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| nucleus tractus spinalis nervi trigemini | The long sensory nucleus extending from the caudal border of the pontine sensory nucleus of the trigeminus down through the lateral region of the rhombencephalon into the upper three segments of the spinal cord's dorsal horn; it receives the fibres of the sensory root of the trigeminal nerve which descend along its lateral border as the spinal tract of trigeminal nerve. Synonym: nucleus tractus spinalis nervi trigemini, descending nucleus of the trigeminus, spinal nucleus of the trigeminus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventralis corporis trapezoidei | A cell group embedded among the fibres of the trapezoid body, the major decussation of the central auditory pathway, in the lower pons. The nucleus receives fibres from the contralateral cochlear nuclei and contributes fibres to the ascending auditory system or lateral lemniscus. Synonym: nucleus ventralis corporis trapezoidei. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventralis intermedius thalami | The composite middle third of the ventral nucleus receiving in its various parts distinctive projections from the contralateral half of the cerebellum (by way of the superior cerebellar peduncle) and the ipsilateral globus pallidus; nearly all parts of the nucleus projects to the motor cortex. Synonym: nucleus ventralis intermedius thalami, nucleus ventralis lateralis, ventral lateral nucleus of thalamus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventralis lateralis | The composite middle third of the ventral nucleus receiving in its various parts distinctive projections from the contralateral half of the cerebellum (by way of the superior cerebellar peduncle) and the ipsilateral globus pallidus; nearly all parts of the nucleus projects to the motor cortex. Synonym: nucleus ventralis intermedius thalami, nucleus ventralis lateralis, ventral lateral nucleus of thalamus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventralis posterior intermedius thalami | Intermediate part of the ventrobasal nuclear complex. See: ventral posterior nucleus of thalamus. Synonym: ventral posterior intermediate nucleus of thalamus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventralis posterior thalami | The large posterior part of the ventral nucleus of the thalamus receiving the somatic sensory lemnisci (medial lemniscus, spinothalamic tract, trigeminal lemniscus) and the ascending gustatory (taste) lemniscus, and projecting in turn by way of the internal capsule to the cortex of the postcentral gyrus. The nucleus is somatotopically organised and subdivided into a ventral posterolateral nucleus of thalamus representing the leg, a ventral posterior intermediate nucleus of thalamus representing the arm, a ventral posteromedial nucleus of thalamus representing the face, and an arcuate nucleus of thalamus receiving the gustatory lemniscus. Synonym: nucleus ventralis posterior thalami, ventrobasal nucleus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventralis posterolateralis thalami | Lateral part of the ventrobasal nuclear complex. See: ventral posterior nucleus of thalamus. Synonym: nucleus ventralis posterolateralis thalami. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventralis posteromedialis thalami | ventral posteromedial nucleus of thalamus |
| nucleus ventralis thalami | A large, complex cell mass the external border of which forms the ventral and much of the lateral boundary, as well as the rostral border, of the thalamus; it can be subdivided into an anterior, intermediate, and posterior part. Synonym: nucleus ventralis thalami. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus ventromedialis hypothalami | <anatomy> A circumscript ovoid group of small neurons in the medial zone of the tuberal region of the hypothalamus. Bilateral destruction of this nucleus in the rat leads to severe obesity. It receives numerous fibres from the amygdala via the terminal stria; its efferent connections are obscure. Synonym: nucleus ventromedialis hypothalami. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nucleus vestibularis | One of a group of four main nuclei that includes: the lateral vestibular nucleus (Deiters' nucleus), medial vestibular nucleus (Schwalbe's nucleus), superior vestibular nucleus (Bechterew's nucleus), and inferior vestibular nucleus, located in the lateral region of the hindbrain beneath the floor of the rhomboid fossa. They receive primary fibres of the vestibular nerve, are reciprocally connected with the flocculonodular lobe of the cerebellum, and project by way of the medial longitudinal fasciculus to the abducens, trochlear, and oculomotor nuclei and to the ventral horn of the spinal cord. The lateral vestibular nucleus projects to the ipsilateral ventral horn of the spinal cord by the vestibulospinal tract. Synonym: nucleus vestibularis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| superior central tegmental nucleus | Collections of small neurons centrally scattered among many fibres from the level of the trochlear nucleus in the midbrain to the hypoglossal area in the medulla oblongata. (12 Dec 1998) |
| superior olivary nucleus | A circumscript, bipartite cell group located ventrolaterally in the lower pontine tegmentum, immediately dorsal to the trapezoid body; the nucleus receives fibres from both the ipsilateral and contralateral cochlear nuclei, and contributes fibres to the lateral (auditory) lemniscus of both sides. It is believed to be prominently involved in the function of spatial localization of sound. Synonym: nucleus dorsalis corporis trapezoidei, oliva superior, superior olivary nucleus, superior olive. (05 Mar 2000) |
| superior salivary nucleus | A group of preganglionic parasympathetic motor neurons situated rostral and lateral to the inferior salivatory nucleus; it governs secretion of the lacrimal, sublingual, and submaxillary glands by way of the facial nerve and the sphenopalatine and submandibular ganglia. Synonym: nucleus salivatorius superior, superior salivary nucleus. (05 Mar 2000) |