The caudal pontine reticular nucleus or nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis is a portion of the

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 ...

, composed of gigantocellular neurons. In

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s and cats it is exclusively giant cells, however in

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s there are normally sized cells as well. In rodents, it has been shown to play a role in the acoustic startle response. The caudal pontine reticular nucleus is rostral to the gigantocellular reticular nucleus and is located in the caudal pons. The caudal pontine reticular nucleus has been known to mediate head movement, in concert with the gigantocellular nucleus and the

superior colliculus In neuroanatomy, the superior colliculus () is a structure lying on the roof of the mammalian midbrain. In non-mammalian vertebrates, the homologous structure is known as the optic tectum, or optic lobe. The adjective form ''tectal'' is commonly ...

. The neurons in the dorsal half of this nucleus fire rhythmically during

mastication Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion, and it increases the surface area of foods to allow a more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, th ...

, and in an anesthetized animal it is possible to induce mastication via electrical stimulation of the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis or adjacent areas of the gigantocellular nucleus.Scott G, Effect of lidocaine and NMDA injections into the medial pontobulbar reticular formation on mastication evoked by cortical stimulation in anaesthetized rabbits. Eur J Neurosci. 2003 May;17(10):2156-62. The caudal pontine reticular nucleus is also thought to play a role in the

grinding of teeth Bruxism is excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching. It is an oral parafunctional activity; i.e., it is unrelated to normal function such as eating or talking. Bruxism is a common behavior; reports of prevalence range from 8% to 31% in the gene ...

during sleep. The region also suppresses muscle tone during REM sleep, activates eye movements, and decreases the sensory input to the cerebral cortex, specifically the primary and sensory somatosensory cortices.

References

External links

NIF Search - Caudal Pontine Reticular Nucleus
via the Neuroscience Information Framework Pons {{neuroanatomy-stub