Ventral Median Fissure

	Ventral Median Fissure The anterior median fissure (ventral or ventromedian fissure) contains a fold of pia mater, and extends along the entire length of the medulla oblongata: It ends at the lower border of the pons in a small triangular expansion, termed the foramen cecum. Its lower part is interrupted by bundles of fibers that cross obliquely from one side to the other, and constitute the pyramidal decussation. Some fibers, termed the anterior external arcuate fibers, emerge from the fissure above this decussation and curve lateralward and upward over the surface of the medulla oblongata to join the inferior peduncle. Additional images File:Gray679.png, Medulla oblongata and pons. Anterior surface. File:Gray699.png, Diagram showing the course of the arcuate fibers. File:Gray700.png, The reticular formation The reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei in the brainstem that spans from the lower end of the medulla oblongata to the upper end of the midbrain. The neurons of the reti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Pia Mater Pia mater ( or ),Entry "pia mater" in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary ', retrieved 2012-07-28. often referred to as simply the pia, is the delicate innermost layer of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord . ''Pia mater'' is medieval Latin meaning "tender mother". The other two meningeal membranes are the [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Medulla Oblongata The medulla oblongata or simply medulla is a long stem-like structure which makes up the lower part of the brainstem. It is anterior and partially inferior to the cerebellum. It is a cone-shaped neuronal mass responsible for autonomic (involuntary) functions, ranging from vomiting to sneezing. The medulla contains the cardiovascular center, the respiratory center, vomiting and vasomotor centers, responsible for the autonomic functions of breathing, heart rate and blood pressure as well as the sleep–wake cycle. "Medulla" is from Latin, ‘pith or marrow’. And "oblongata" is from Latin, ‘lengthened or longish or elongated'. During embryonic development, the medulla oblongata develops from the myelencephalon. The myelencephalon is a secondary brain vesicle which forms during the maturation of the rhombencephalon, also referred to as the hindbrain. The bulb is an archaic term for the medulla oblongata. In modern clinical usage, the word bulbar (as in bulbar palsy) is r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Pyramidal Decussation In neuroanatomy, the medullary pyramids are paired white matter structures of the brainstem's medulla oblongata that contain motor fibers of the corticospinal and corticobulbar tracts – known together as the pyramidal tracts. The lower limit of the pyramids is marked when the fibers cross (decussate). Structure The ventral portion of the medulla oblongata contains the medullary pyramids. These two ridge-like structures travel along the length of the medulla oblongata and are bordered medially by the anterior median fissure. They each have an anterolateral sulcus along their lateral borders, where the hypoglossal nerve emerges from. Also at the side of each pyramid there is a pronounced bulge known as an olive. Fibers of the posterior column, which transmit sensory and proprioceptive information, are located behind the pyramids on the medulla oblongata. The medullary pyramids contain motor fibers that are known as the corticobulbar and corticospinal tracts. The corticospin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Anterior External Arcuate Fibers The anterior external arcuate fibers (ventral external arcuate fibers) vary as to their prominence: in some cases they form an almost continuous layer covering the medullary pyramids and olivary body, while in other cases they are barely visible on the surface. They arise from the cells of the gracile and cuneate nuclei, and pass forward through the reticular formation to decussate (cross over to the other side) in the middle line. Most of them reach the surface by way of the anterior median fissure, and arch backward over the pyramid, the olive, and the lateral district of the medulla oblongata to enter the cerebellum through the inferior peduncle. The fibers are reinforced in their course by fibers emerging between the pyramid and olive. As the fibers arch across the pyramid, they enclose a small nucleus which lies in front of and medial to the pyramid. This is named the arcuate nucleus, and is serially continuous above with the pontine nuclei in the pons; it contains small ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Inferior Peduncle The inferior cerebellar peduncle is formed by fibers of the restiform body that join with fibers from the much smaller juxtarestiform body. The inferior cerebellar peduncle is the smallest of the three cerebellar peduncles. The upper part of the posterior district of the medulla oblongata is occupied by the inferior cerebellar peduncle, a thick rope-like strand situated between the lower part of the fourth ventricle and the roots of the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves. Each cerebellar inferior peduncle connects the spinal cord and medulla oblongata with the cerebellum, and comprises the juxtarestiform body and restiform body. Important fibers running through the inferior cerebellar peduncle include the dorsal spinocerebellar tract and axons from the inferior olivary nucleus, among others. Function The inferior cerebellar peduncle carries many types of input and output fibers that are mainly concerned with integrating proprioceptive sensory input with motor vestibular functi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Reticular Formation The reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei in the brainstem that spans from the lower end of the medulla oblongata to the upper end of the midbrain. The neurons of the reticular formation make up a complex set of neural networks in the core of the brainstem. The reticular formation is made up of a diffuse net-like formation of reticular nuclei which is not well-defined. It may be seen as being made up of all the interspersed cells in the brainstem between the more compact and named structures. The reticular formation is functionally divided into the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS), ascending pathways to the cerebral cortex, and the descending reticular system, descending pathways ( reticulospinal tracts) to the spinal cord. Due to its extent along the brainstem it may be divided into different areas such as the midbrain reticular formation, the central mesencephalic reticular formation, the pontine reticular formation, the paramedian pontine reticul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]