The emboliform nucleus is a

deep cerebellar nucleus There are four paired deep cerebellar nuclei embedded in the white matter centre of the cerebellum. The nuclei are the fastigial, globose, emboliform, and dentate nuclei. In lower mammals the emboliform nucleus appears to be continuous with t ...

that lies immediately to the

medial Medial may refer to: Mathematics * Medial magma, a mathematical identity in algebra Geometry * Medial axis, in geometry the set of all points having more than one closest point on an object's boundary * Medial graph, another graph that repr ...

side of the

dentate nucleus The dentate nucleus refer to a pair of deep cerebellar nuclei deep within the white matter of the cerebellum of the brain with a dentate – tooth-like or serrated – edge. The dentate forms the largest pathway between the cerebellum and the r ...

, partly covering its hilum. It is one of the four pairs of deep cerebellar nuclei, which are from lateral to medial: the dentate, emboliform,

globose This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

and fastigial. These nuclei can be seen using

Weigert's elastic stain Weigert's elastic stain is a combination of Staining, stains used in histology which is useful in identifying elastic fibers. Often orcein or a combination of resorcinol and fuchsine are used for staining. For counterstaining cell nuclei nuclear f ...

. In lower mammals the emboliform nucleus appears to be continuous with the globose nucleus, and these are known together as the

interposed nucleus The interposed nucleus is the combined paired globose and emboliform nuclei, ( deep cerebellar nuclei) on either side of the cerebellum. It is located in the roof of the fourth ventricle, lateral to the fastigial nucleus. The emboliform nucleus ...

. ''Emboliform'', from Ancient Greek, means "shaped like a plug or wedge".

Structure

The emboliform nucleus is a wedge-shaped structure of

gray matter Grey matter, or gray matter in American English, is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and ...

found at the medial side of the hilum of the

. Its

neuron A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...

s display a similar structure from those of the dentate nucleus. In some mammals the emboliform nucleus is continuous with the

globose nucleus The globose nucleus is one of the deep cerebellar nuclei. It is located medial to the emboliform nucleus, and lateral to the fastigial nucleus. The ''globose nucleus'' and emboliform nucleus are known collectively as the interposed nuclei. The ...

, forming together the

. When present, the interposed nucleus can be divided in an anterior and a posterior interposed nucleus, considered homologues of the emboliform and globose nuclei, respectively.

Function

The emboliform participates in the

spinocerebellum The anatomy of the cerebellum can be viewed at three levels. At the level of gross anatomy, the cerebellum consists of a tightly folded and crumpled layer of Cerebellar cortex, cortex, with white matter underneath, several deep nuclei embedded i ...

, a system that regulates the precision of limb movements.

Axon An axon (from Greek ἄξων ''áxōn'', axis) or nerve fiber (or nerve fibre: see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences) is a long, slender cellular extensions, projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, ...

s leaving the emboliform exit through the

superior cerebellar peduncle In the human brain, the superior cerebellar peduncle (brachium conjunctivum) is one of the three paired cerebellar peduncles of bundled fibers that connect the cerebellum to the brainstem. The superior cerebellar peduncle connects to the midbrain. ...

and reach the

red nucleus The red nucleus or nucleus ruber is a structure in the rostral midbrain involved in motor coordination. The red nucleus is pale pink, which is believed to be due to the presence of iron in at least two different forms: hemoglobin and ferritin. ...

in the

midbrain The midbrain or mesencephalon is the uppermost portion of the brainstem connecting the diencephalon and cerebrum with the pons. It consists of the cerebral peduncles, tegmentum, and tectum. It is functionally associated with vision, hearing, mo ...

and several

thalamic The thalamus (: thalami; from Greek θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral wall of the third ventricle forming the dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of the forebrain). Nerve fibers project out of the ...

nuclei which project into areas of the

cerebral cortex The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. It is the largest site of Neuron, neural integration in the central nervous system, and plays ...

that control limb movement.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20150621011739/http://www.mona.uwi.edu/fpas/courses/physiology/neurophysiology/Cerebellum.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20080405060224/http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/eshuphysio/program/section8/8ch6/s8ch6_30.htm
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