Pontine nuclei: Definition from Answers.com

Brain: Pontine nuclei
Latin	nuclei pontis
Gray's	subject #187 786
NeuroNames	hier-613

The pontine nuclei are a part of the pons which store the memory of intention during motor activity. Corticopontine fibres carry information from the primary motor cortex to the ipsilateral pontine nucleus in the ventral pons, and the pontocerebellar projection then carries that information to the contralateral cerebellum via the middle cerebellar peduncle.

They therefore allow modification of actions in the light of their outcome, or error correction, and are hence important in learning motor skills.

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Human brain, rhombencephalon, metencephalon: pons (TA A14.1.05.101-604, GA 9.785)

Dorsal/
(tegmentum)

Surface	Cerebellopontine angle · Superior medullary velum · Sulcus limitans · Medial eminence · Facial colliculus

White: Sensory/ascending	Trapezoid body/VIII · Trigeminal lemniscus (Dorsal trigeminal tract, Ventral trigeminal tract) · Medial lemniscus · Lateral lemniscus MLF, III, IV and VI: Vestibulo-oculomotor fibers Anterior trigeminothalamic tract · Central tegmental tract

White: Motor/descending	ICP (Vestibulocerebellar tract) MLF, III, IV and VI: Vestibulospinal tract (Medial vestibulospinal tract, Lateral vestibulospinal tract)

Grey: Cranial nuclei	afferent: GSA: Principal V/Spinal V · VIII-c (Dorsal, Anterior)/VIII-v (Lateral, Superior, Medial, Inferior) efferent: SVE: Motor V · VII · GSE: VI · GVE: VII: Superior salivary nucleus

Other grey	Apneustic center · Pneumotaxic center (Medial parabrachial nucleus) · Lateral parabrachial nucleus · Superior olivary nucleus · Caerulean nucleus

Ventral/
(base)

Grey	Pontine nuclei

White: Motor/descending	Corticospinal tract · Corticobulbar tract · Corticopontine fibers MCP (Pontocerebellar fibers)

Surface	Basilar sulcus

Other grey: Raphe/
reticular

Reticular formation (Caudal, Oral, Tegmental, Paramedian) · Raphe nuclei (Median)

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