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In neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy

Neuroanatomy is the branch of anatomy that studies the anatomical organization of the nervous system. In vertebrate animals, the peripheral nervous system that the myriad nerves take from the brain to the rest of the body , and the internal structure of the brain in particular, are both extremely elaborate....
, a nucleus is a brain
Brain

The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as cnidarian and echinoderm have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all....
 structure consisting of a relatively compact cluster of neuron
Neuron

Neurons are responsive cell in the nervous system that process and transmit information by electrochemical Signal . They are the core components of the brain, the vertebrate spinal cord, the invertebrate ventral nerve cord, and the peripheral nerves....
s. It is one of the two most common forms of nerve cell organization, the other being layered structures such as the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex is a structure within the brain that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness....
 or cerebellar cortex
Cerebellum

The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration of perception, coordination and motoneuron control. In order to coordinate motor control, there are many neural pathways linking the cerebellum with the cerebrum motor cortex and the spinocerebellar tract ....
. In anatomical sections, a nucleus shows up as a region of gray matter
Gray Matter

"Gray Matter" is a short story by Stephen King, published in 1978 in the compilation Night Shift . It was first published in Cavalier in October 1973 in literature....
, often bordered by white matter
White matter

White matter is one of the three main solid components of the central nervous system. White matter tissue of the freshly cut brain appears white to the naked eye because of being composed largely of lipid....
. The vertebrate
Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
 brain contains hundreds of distinguishable nuclei, varying widely in shape and size. A nucleus may itself have a complex internal structure, with multiple types of neurons arranged in clumps (subnuclei) or layers.

The term "nucleus" is in some cases used rather loosely, to mean simply an identifiably distinct group of neurons, even if they are spread over an extended area.






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In neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy

Neuroanatomy is the branch of anatomy that studies the anatomical organization of the nervous system. In vertebrate animals, the peripheral nervous system that the myriad nerves take from the brain to the rest of the body , and the internal structure of the brain in particular, are both extremely elaborate....
, a nucleus is a brain
Brain

The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as cnidarian and echinoderm have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all....
 structure consisting of a relatively compact cluster of neuron
Neuron

Neurons are responsive cell in the nervous system that process and transmit information by electrochemical Signal . They are the core components of the brain, the vertebrate spinal cord, the invertebrate ventral nerve cord, and the peripheral nerves....
s. It is one of the two most common forms of nerve cell organization, the other being layered structures such as the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex is a structure within the brain that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness....
 or cerebellar cortex
Cerebellum

The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration of perception, coordination and motoneuron control. In order to coordinate motor control, there are many neural pathways linking the cerebellum with the cerebrum motor cortex and the spinocerebellar tract ....
. In anatomical sections, a nucleus shows up as a region of gray matter
Gray Matter

"Gray Matter" is a short story by Stephen King, published in 1978 in the compilation Night Shift . It was first published in Cavalier in October 1973 in literature....
, often bordered by white matter
White matter

White matter is one of the three main solid components of the central nervous system. White matter tissue of the freshly cut brain appears white to the naked eye because of being composed largely of lipid....
. The vertebrate
Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
 brain contains hundreds of distinguishable nuclei, varying widely in shape and size. A nucleus may itself have a complex internal structure, with multiple types of neurons arranged in clumps (subnuclei) or layers.

The term "nucleus" is in some cases used rather loosely, to mean simply an identifiably distinct group of neurons, even if they are spread over an extended area. The reticular nucleus of the thalamus
Thalamic reticular nucleus

The thalamic reticular nucleus is part of the ventral thalamus that forms a capsule around the thalamus laterally. It is separated from the thalamus by the external medullary lamina....
, for example, is a thin layer of inhibitory neurons that surrounds the thalamus.

Some of the major anatomical components of the brain are organized as clusters of interconnected nuclei. Notable among these are the thalamus
Thalamus

The thalamus is a pair and symmetric part of the brain. It constitutes the main part of the diencephalon....
 and hypothalamus
Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland ....
, each of which contains several dozen distinguishable substructures. The medulla
Medulla

Medulla refers to the middle of something, and derives from the Latin word for 'marrow' .In medicine it refers to either bone marrow, the spinal cord, or more generally, the middle part of a structure ....
 and pons
Pons

The pons is a structure located on the brain stem. It is cranial to the medulla oblongata, caudal to the midbrain, and ventral to the cerebellum....
 also contain numerous small nuclei with a wide variety of sensory, motor, and regulatory functions.

In the spinal cord
Spinal cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
 and peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the central nervous system , which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs....
, a cluster of neurons is usually called a ganglion
Ganglion

In anatomy, a ganglion is a biological tissue.Cells found in a ganglion are called ganglion cells, though this term is also sometimes used to refer specifically to Retinal ganglion cells....
 instead of a nucleus.

See Also


  • Brain
    Brain

    The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as cnidarian and echinoderm have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all....
  • Nervous system
    Nervous system

    The nervous system is a Neural network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body....