The gigantocellular reticular nucleus (Gi) is a subregion of the medullary

reticular formation The reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei that are located throughout the brainstem. It is not anatomically well defined, because it includes neurons located in different parts of the brain. The neurons of the reticular formation ...

. As the name indicates, it consists mainly of so-called giant neuronal cells. This nucleus has been known to innervate the caudal

hypoglossal nucleus The hypoglossal nucleus is a cranial nerve nucleus, found within the medulla oblongata, medulla. Being a motor nucleus, it is close to the midline. In the Medulla oblongata#Anatomy, open medulla, it is visible as what is known as the ''hypoglossal ...

, and responds to

glutamatergic Glutamatergic means "related to glutamate". A glutamatergic agent (or drug) is a chemical that directly modulates the excitatory amino acid (glutamate/ aspartate) system in the body or brain. Examples include excitatory amino acid receptor agonist ...

stimuli. The gigantocellular nucleus excites the hypoglossal nucleus, and can play a role in the actions of the said nerve.Yang, CC et al. Excitatory innervation of caudal hypoglossal nucleus from nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis in the rat. Neuroscience. 1995 Mar;65(2):365-74. It additionally receives connections from the

periaqueductal gray The periaqueductal gray (PAG, also known as the central gray) is a brain region that plays a critical role in autonomic function, motivated behavior and behavioural responses to threatening stimuli. PAG is also the primary control center for d ...

, the

paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus The paraventricular nucleus (PVN, PVA, or PVH) is a nucleus in the hypothalamus. Anatomically, it is adjacent to the third ventricle and many of its neurons project to the posterior pituitary. These projecting neurons secrete oxytocin and a smaller ...

central nucleus of the amygdala The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA or aCeN) is a nucleus within the amygdala. It "serves as the major output nucleus of the amygdala and participates in receiving and processing pain information." CeA "connects with brainstem areas that con ...

lateral hypothalamic area The lateral hypothalamus (LH), also called the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), contains the primary orexinergic nucleus within the hypothalamus that widely projects throughout the nervous system; this system of neurons mediates an array of cogni ...

, and

parvocellular reticular nucleus The parvocellular reticular nucleus is part of the brain located dorsolateral to the caudal pontine reticular nucleus. The dorsal portion of the reticular nucleus has been shown to innervate the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus and its surrounding ...

. Retrograde studies have shown that the deep mesencephalic reticular formation and

oral pontine reticular nucleus The oral pontine reticular nucleus, or rostral pontine reticular nucleus, is delineated from the caudal pontine reticular nucleus. This nucleus tapers into the lower mesencephalic reticular formation and contains sporadic giant cells. Different po ...

project to the gigantocellular nucleus. The dorsal rostral section of the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis is also involved in mediating

expiration Expiration or expiration date may refer to: Expiration Expiration may refer to: *Death *Exhalation of breath, breathing out *Expiration (options), the legal termination of an option to take an action *Shelf life, or the time after which a product ...

(or out-breathing) along with the

parvocellular nucleus The parvocellular reticular nucleus is part of the brain located dorsolateral to the caudal pontine reticular nucleus. The dorsal portion of the reticular nucleus has been shown to innervate the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus and its surrounding ...

References

It also receives inputs from the pedunculopontine nucleus. Medulla oblongata {{Neuroanatomy-stub