The midbrain reticular formation (MRF), also known as reticular formation of midbrain, mesencephalic reticular formation, tegmental reticular formation, and formatio reticularis (tegmenti) mesencephali, is a structure in the
midbrain
The midbrain or mesencephalon is the forward-most portion of the brainstem and is associated with vision, hearing, motor control, sleep and wakefulness, arousal ( alertness), and temperature regulation. The name comes from the Greek ''mesos'', " ...
consisting of the
dorsal tegmental nucleus,
ventral tegmental nucleus, and
cuneiform nucleus. These are also known as the
tegmental nuclei.
[NeuroNames]
tegmental nuclei
BrainInfo. Accessed January 25, 2011.
The dorsal and ventral tegmental nuclei receive connections from the
mammillo-tegmental ''bundle of Gudden'', a branch of the
mammillothalamic tract
The mammillothalamic tract (mammillothalamic fasciculus, thalamomammillary fasciculus, bundle of Vicq d’Azyr) arises from cells in both the medial and lateral nuclei of the mammillary body and by fibers that are directly continued from the forn ...
. The bundle of Gudden might be identical to the
hypothalamotegmental tract.
Along with the
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 p ...
, the midbrain
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 ...
projects to the
gigantocellular reticular nucleus
The gigantocellular reticular nucleus (Gi) is a subregion of the medullary 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, a ...
.
The midbrain reticular formation is the point at which the different
algedonic signals come together, ensuring that the organism is aware of potential threats.
See also
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Hypothalamotegmental tract
*
Mammillothalamic tract
The mammillothalamic tract (mammillothalamic fasciculus, thalamomammillary fasciculus, bundle of Vicq d’Azyr) arises from cells in both the medial and lateral nuclei of the mammillary body and by fibers that are directly continued from the forn ...
*
Mesencephalic locomotor region
The mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) is a functionally defined area of the midbrain that is associated with the initiation and control of locomotor movements in vertebrate species.
Neuroanatomical organization
The MLR was first described by S ...
References
External links
*
NeuroNames
''NeuroNames'' is an integrated nomenclature for structures in the brain and spinal cord of the four species most studied by neuroscientists: human, macaque, rat and mouse. It offers a standard, controlled vocabulary of common names for structure ...
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midbrain reticular formation
Midbrain
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