Reticular formation
Spinal trigeminal nucleus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei that are located in the brainstem, hypothalamus, and other regions. It is not anatomically well defined, because it includes neurons located in different parts of the brain. The neurons of the reticular formation make up a complex set of networks in the core of the brainstem that extend from the upper part of the midbrain to the lower part of the medulla oblongata.[2] The reticular formation includes ascending pathways to the cortex in the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) and descending pathways to the spinal cord via the reticulospinal tracts.[3][4][5][6]
Reticular formation | |
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Details | |
Location | Brainstem, hypothalamus and other regions |
Identifiers | |
Latin | formatio reticularis |
MeSH | D012154 |
NeuroNames | 1223 |
NeuroLex ID | nlx_143558 |
TA98 | A14.1.00.021 A14.1.05.403 A14.1.06.327 |
TA2 | 5367 |
FMA | 77719 |
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy |
Neurons of the reticular formation, particularly those of the ascending reticular activating system, basically act as an “on/off” switch to the cerebral cortex and hence play a crucial role in maintaining behavioral arousal and consciousness. The overall functions of the reticular formation are modulatory and premotor,[upper-alpha 1] involving somatic motor control, cardiovascular control, pain modulation, sleep and consciousness, and habituation.[7] The modulatory functions are primarily found in the rostral sector of the reticular formation and the premotor functions are localized in the neurons in more caudal regions.
The reticular formation is divided into three columns: raphe nuclei (median), gigantocellular reticular nuclei (medial zone), and parvocellular reticular nuclei (lateral zone). The raphe nuclei are the place of synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays an important role in mood regulation. The gigantocellular nuclei are involved in motor coordination. The parvocellular nuclei regulate exhalation.[8]
The reticular formation is essential for governing some of the basic functions of higher organisms and is one of the phylogenetically oldest portions of the brain.[citation needed]