The
sensory
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 ...
trigeminal nerve nuclei are the largest of the
cranial nerve nuclei
A cranial nerve nucleus is a collection of neurons ( gray matter) in the brain stem that is associated with one or more of the cranial nerves. Axons carrying information to and from the cranial nerves form a synapse first at these nuclei. Les ...
, and extend through the whole of 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'', " ...
,
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 ...
and
medulla, and into the high cervical spinal cord.
The nucleus is divided into three parts, from rostral to caudal (top to bottom in humans):
* The
mesencephalic nucleus
* The
chief sensory nucleus (or "pontine nucleus" or "main sensory nucleus" or "primary nucleus" or "principal nucleus")
* The
spinal trigeminal nucleus
The spinal trigeminal nucleus is a nucleus in the medulla that receives information about deep/crude touch, pain, and temperature from the ipsilateral face. In addition to the trigeminal nerve (CN V), the facial (CN VII), glossopharyngeal (CN IX ...
::The spinal trigeminal nucleus is further subdivided into three parts, from rostral to caudal:
:* Pars Oralis (from the Pons to the Hypoglossal nucleus)
:* Pars Interpolaris (from the Hypoglossal nucleus to the
obex
OBEX (abbreviation of OBject EXchange, also termed IrOBEX) is a communications protocol that facilitates the exchange of binary objects between devices. It is maintained by the Infrared Data Association but has also been adopted by the Bluetooth S ...
)
:* Pars Caudalis (from the obex to C2)
There is also a distinct
trigeminal motor nucleus that is medial to the chief sensory nucleus.
See also
*
Photic sneeze reflex
The photic sneeze reflex (also known as Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst (ACHOO) syndrome or photoptarmosis, of the combining form from Ancient Greek φῶς, ''phōs'', "light" and πταρμός, ''ptarmós'', "sneeze", ...
*
Trigeminal nerve
In neuroanatomy, the trigeminal nerve (literal translation, lit. ''triplet'' nerve), also known as the fifth cranial nerve, cranial nerve V, or simply CN V, is a cranial nerve responsible for Sense, sensation in the face and motor functions ...
Additional images
File:Gray683.png, Dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.
File:Gray684.png, Deep dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.
File:Gray697.png, Nuclei of origin of cranial motor nerves schematically represented; lateral view.
File:Gray698.png, Primary terminal nuclei of the afferent (sensory) cranial nerves schematically represented; lateral view.
External links
*
Washington University
{{Mesencephalon
Cranial nerve nuclei
Trigeminal nerve