The trapezoid body (the ventral acoustic stria) is part of the
auditory pathway
Auditory means of or relating to the process of hearing:
* Auditory system, the neurological structures and pathways of sound perception
** Auditory bulla, part of auditory system found in mammals other than primates
** Auditory nerve, also known ...
where some of the
axon
An axon (from Greek ἄξων ''áxōn'', axis), or nerve fiber (or nerve fibre: see spelling differences), is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, in vertebrates, that typically conducts electrical impulses known as action po ...
s coming from the
cochlear nucleus
The cochlear nuclear (CN) complex comprises two cranial nerve nuclei in the human brainstem, the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) and the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN).
The ventral cochlear nucleus is unlayered whereas the dorsal cochlear nucleus ...
(specifically, the anterior cochlear nucleus) decussate (cross over) to the other side before traveling on to the
superior olivary nucleus. This is believed to help with localization of sound.
The trapezoid body is located in the caudal
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 ...
, or more specifically the
pontine tegmentum
Pontine may refer to:
* Having to do with the pons, a structure located in the brain stem (from ''pons'', "bridge")
* Pontine Marshes, a region of Italy near Rome
* Pontine Islands
The Pontine Islands (, also ; it, Isole Ponziane ) are an ar ...
. It is situated between the
pontine nuclei
Pontine may refer to:
* Having to do with the pons, a structure located in the brain stem (from ''pons'', "bridge")
* Pontine Marshes, a region of Italy near Rome
* Pontine Islands
The Pontine Islands (, also ; it, Isole Ponziane ) are an ar ...
and the
medial lemniscus
In neuroanatomy, the medial lemniscus, also known as Reil's band or Reil's ribbon (for German anatomist Johann Christian Reil), is a large ascending bundle of heavily myelinated axons that decussate (cross) in the brainstem, specifically in the ...
. After nerves from the cochlear nucleus cross over in the trapezoid body and go on to the superior olivary nucleus, they continue to the
lateral lemniscus
The lateral lemniscus is a tract of axons in the brainstem that carries information about sound from the cochlear nucleus to various brainstem nuclei and ultimately the contralateral inferior colliculus of the midbrain. Three distinct, primarily ...
, then the
inferior colliculus
The inferior colliculus (IC) (Latin for ''lower hill'') is the principal midbrain nucleus of the auditory pathway and receives input from several peripheral brainstem nuclei in the auditory pathway, as well as inputs from the auditory cortex. The ...
, then the
medial geniculate body, before finally arriving at the
primary auditory cortex
The auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information in humans and many other vertebrates. It is a part of the auditory system, performing basic and higher functions in hearing, such as possible relations to ...
.
References
Pons
Auditory system
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