The rhomboid fossa is a

rhombus In plane Euclidean geometry, a rhombus (plural rhombi or rhombuses) is a quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. Another name is equilateral quadrilateral, since equilateral means that all of its sides are equal in length. The ...

-shaped depression that is the anterior part of the

fourth ventricle The fourth ventricle is one of the four connected fluid-filled cavities within the human brain. These cavities, known collectively as the ventricular system, consist of the left and right lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ve ...

. Its anterior wall, formed by the back of the

pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other bipeds lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of Va ...

and the

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 (involun ...

, constitutes the floor of the fourth ventricle. It is covered by a thin layer of

grey matter Grey matter 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 capillaries. Grey matter is distingui ...

continuous with that of the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the spi ...

; superficial to this is a thin lamina of

neuroglia Glia, also called glial cells (gliocytes) or neuroglia, are non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system that do not produce electrical impulses. They maintain homeostasis, form mye ...

which constitutes the

ependyma The ependyma is the thin Neuroepithelial cell, neuroepithelial (Simple columnar epithelium, simple columnar ciliated epithelium) lining of the ventricular system of the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord. The ependyma is one of the fou ...

of the ventricle and supports a layer of ciliated

epithelium Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellul ...

Parts

The fossa consists of three parts, superior, intermediate, and inferior: ;The superior part :The superior part is triangular in shape and limited laterally by the

superior cerebellar peduncle In the human brain, the superior cerebellar peduncle (brachium conjunctivum) is a paired structure of white matter that connects the cerebellum to the midbrain. It consists mainly of efferent fibers, the cerebellothalamic tract that runs from a cer ...

; its apex, directed upward, is continuous with the

cerebral aqueduct The cerebral aqueduct (aqueductus mesencephali, mesencephalic duct, sylvian aqueduct or aqueduct of Sylvius) is a conduit for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that connects the third ventricle to the fourth ventricle of the ventricular system of the brai ...

; its base is represented by an imaginary line at the level of the upper ends of the superior foveae. ;The intermediate part :The intermediate part extends from this level to that of the horizontal portions of the taeniae of the ventricle; it is narrow above where it is limited laterally by the middle peduncle, but widens below and is prolonged into the

lateral recess The lateral recess is a projection of the fourth ventricle which extends into, or rather below, the inferior cerebellar peduncle of the brainstem. The lateral aperture ( Foramen of Luschka), an opening in each extremity of the lateral recess, pro ...

es of the ventricle. ; The inferior part :The inferior part is triangular, and its downwardly directed apex, named the ''calamus scriptorius'' (as is shaped like a writing quill-nib) is continuous with the central canal of the closed part of the medulla oblongata. The

sulcus limitans The sulcus limitans is found in the fourth ventricle of the brain. It separates the cranial nerve motor nuclei (medial) from the sensory nuclei (lateral).Nolte, John. The Human Brain 6th ed. p.685. Mosby Inc. It can also be located by searching ...

forms the lateral boundary of the

medial eminence In the human brain, the rhomboid fossa is divided into symmetrical halves by a median sulcus which reaches from the upper to the lower angles of the fossa and is deeper below than above. On either side of this sulcus is an elevation, the medial em ...

Features

In the superior part of the rhomboid fossa it corresponds with the lateral limit of the fossa and presents a bluish-gray area, the

locus coeruleus The locus coeruleus () (LC), also spelled locus caeruleus or locus ceruleus, is a nucleus in the pons of the brainstem involved with physiological responses to stress and panic. It is a part of the reticular activating system. The locus coerule ...

, which owes its color to an underlying patch of deeply pigmented nerve cells, termed the substantia ferruginea. At the level of the

facial colliculus The facial colliculus is an elevated area located in the pontine tegmentum (dorsal pons), within the floor of the fourth ventricle (i.e. the rhomboid fossa). It is formed by fibres from the facial motor nucleus looping over the abducens nucleus. ...

the sulcus limitans widens into a flattened depression, the superior fovea, and in the inferior part of the fossa appears as a distinct dimple, the inferior fovea. Lateral to the foveæ is a rounded elevation named the area acustica, which extends into the lateral recess and there forms a feebly marked swelling, the tuberculum acusticum. Winding around the inferior peduncle and crossing the area acustica and the medial eminence are a number of white strands, the striæ medullares, which form a portion of the cochlear division of the acoustic nerve and disappear into the median sulcus. Below the inferior fovea, and between the

hypoglossal trigone In the upper part of the medulla oblongata, the hypoglossal nucleus approaches the rhomboid fossa The rhomboid fossa is a rhombus-shaped depression that is the anterior part of the fourth ventricle. Its anterior wall, formed by the back of the p ...

and the lower part of the area acustica is a triangular dark field, the

vagal trigone The cells of the dorsal nucleus of vagus nerve are spindle-shaped, like those of the posterior column of the spinal cord, and the nucleus is usually considered as representing the base of the posterior column. It measures about 2 cm. in lengt ...

, which corresponds to the

sensory nucleus of the vagus Sensory may refer to: Biology * Sensory ecology, how organisms obtain information about their environment * Sensory neuron, nerve cell responsible for transmitting information about external stimuli * Sensory perception, the process of acquiri ...

and

glossopharyngeal nerves The glossopharyngeal nerve (), also known as the ninth cranial nerve, cranial nerve IX, or simply CN IX, is a cranial nerve that exits the brainstem from the sides of the upper medulla, just anterior (closer to the nose) to the vagus nerve. B ...

. The lower end of the vagal trigone is crossed by a narrow translucent ridge, the funiculus separans, and between this funiculus and the gracile nucleus, is a small tongue-shaped area, the

area postrema The area postrema, a paired structure in the medulla oblongata of the brainstem, is a circumventricular organ having permeable capillaries and sensory neurons that enable its dual role to detect circulating chemical messengers in the blood and t ...

. On section it is seen that the funiculus separans is formed by a strip of thickened ependyma, and the area postrema by loose, highly vascular, neuroglial tissue containing nerve cells of moderate size.

Additional images

File:Gray719.png, Hind- and mid-brains; postero-lateral view. File:Gray785.png, Figure showing the mode of innervation of the Recti medialis and lateralis of the eye. File:Human caudal brainstem posterior view description.JPG, Human caudal brainstem posterior view

References

{{Authority control Ventricular system