| pontine nuclei | 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) |
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| hilum nuclei dentati | The mouth of the flasklike dentate nucleus of the cerebellum, directed inward, and giving exit to many of the fibres which compose the superior cerebellar peduncle or brachium conjunctivum. Synonym: hilum nuclei dentati. (05 Mar 2000) |
| hilum nuclei olivaris | The medially oriented opening in the folded cell layer composing the inferior olivary nucleus through which the efferent fibres of the nucleus make their exit. Synonym: hilum nuclei olivaris. (05 Mar 2000) |
| secondary sensory nuclei | Nuclei terminales, collective term indicating those nerve cell groups in the rhombencephalon and spinal cord in which the afferent fibres of the spinal and cranial nerves terminate. Synonym: nuclei terminationis, secondary sensory nuclei. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sensory nuclei | A group of cell bodies that receive afferent (sensory) input from the periphery. (05 Mar 2000) |
| septal nuclei | Neural nuclei situated in the septal region of the diencephalon. (12 Dec 1998) |
| sole nuclei | An accumulation of skeletal muscle fibre nuclei at the myoneural junction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| somatic motor nuclei | Collective term indicating the motor nuclei innervating the tongue musculature (hypoglossal nucleus) and the extraocular eye muscles (abducens nucleu, trochlear nucleus, and oculomotor nucleus). (05 Mar 2000) |
| special visceral efferent nuclei | Collective term for those motoneuronal nuclei of the brainstem (n. Ambiguus, facial motor nucleus, motor nucleus of the trigeminus) that develop from the branchiomotor column of the embryo and innervate striated muscle fibres (muscles of mastication, facial musculature, pharynx and vocal cord muscles) developed from the mesenchyme of the branchial arches. Synonym: special visceral efferent nuclei, special visceral motor nuclei. (05 Mar 2000) |
| special visceral motor nuclei | Collective term for those motoneuronal nuclei of the brainstem (n. Ambiguus, facial motor nucleus, motor nucleus of the trigeminus) that develop from the branchiomotor column of the embryo and innervate striated muscle fibres (muscles of mastication, facial musculature, pharynx and vocal cord muscles) developed from the mesenchyme of the branchial arches. Synonym: special visceral efferent nuclei, special visceral motor nuclei. (05 Mar 2000) |
| 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) |