Central tegmental tract
Encyclopedia
The central tegmental tract is a structure in the midbrain and pons
Pons
The pons is a structure located on the brain stem, named after the Latin word for "bridge" or the 16th-century Italian anatomist and surgeon Costanzo Varolio . It is superior to the medulla oblongata, inferior to the midbrain, and ventral to the cerebellum. In humans and other bipeds this means it...

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  • The central tegmental tract includes ascending axonal fibers that arise from the caudal nucleus solitarius and terminate in the ventral posteromedial nucleus
    Ventral posteromedial nucleus
    -Inputs and outputs:It conveys information of the trigeminothalamic tract, from the solitary tract and the trigeminal nerve and projects to the postcentral gyrus....

     (VPM) of thalamus. Information from the thalamus will go to cortical taste
    Taste
    Taste is one of the traditional five senses. It refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc....

     area, namely the insula and frontal operculum
    Operculum (brain)
    Operculum, derived from Latin, meaning "little lid", refers to the cerebral cortex on the outside surface of the brain bordering the lateral sulcus, and the roof and floor of the lateral sulcus. Neuroscience divides the operculum into orbital, frontal, parietal and temporal regions, after the...

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  • It also contains descending axonal fibers from the parvocellular red nucleus
    Parvocellular red nucleus
    The parvocellular red nucleus is located in the rostral midbrain and is involved in motor coordination. Together with the magnocellular red nucleus, it makes up the red nucleus....

    . The descending axons will project to the inferior olivary nucleus
    Inferior olivary nucleus
    The inferior olivary nucleus is the largest nucleus situated in the olivary body, part of the medulla oblongata.-Function:It is closely associated with the cerebellum, meaning that it is involved in control and coordination of movements, sensory processing and cognitive tasks likely by encoding the...

    . This latter pathway (the rubro-olivary tract
    Rubro-olivary tract
    The rubro-olivary tract is a tract which connects the inferior olive and the parvocellular red nucleus.It is hypothesized that it uses both the corticospinal tract and rubrospinal tract.-External links:...

    ) will be used to connect the contralateral cerebellum
    Cerebellum
    The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control. It may also be involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language, and in regulating fear and pleasure responses, but its movement-related functions are the most solidly established...

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Lesion of the tract can cause palatal myoclonus
Palatal myoclonus
Palatal myoclonus is a rapid spasm of the palatal muscles, which results in clicking or popping in the ear. Chronic clonus is often due to lesions of the central tegmental tract...

, e.g. in myoclonic syndrome, itself a symptom of medial superior pontine syndrome: a form of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 affecting the paramedian branches of the upper basilar artery
Basilar artery
In human anatomy, the basilar artery is one of the arteries that supplies the brain with oxygen-rich blood.The two vertebral arteries and the basilar artery are sometimes together called the vertebrobasilar system, which supplies blood to the posterior part of circle of Willis and anastomoses with...

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External links

  • http://isc.temple.edu/neuroanatomy/lab/atlas/micn/
  • http://isc.temple.edu/neuroanatomy/lab/atlas/mptmn/
  • http://faculty.une.edu/com/fwillard/pages/plate12.htm


Blumenfeld, Hal, "Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases" Sinauer Associates, Inc. 2002
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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