Trigeminal nerve nuclei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brain: Trigeminal nerve nuclei | ||
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The cranial nerve nuclei schematically represented; dorsal view. Motor nuclei in red; sensory in blue. (Trigeminal nerve nuclei are at "V".) | ||
Latin | nuclei trigemini | |
Gray's | subject #187 787 | |
NeuroNames | ancil-1008020136 | |
MeSH | Trigeminal+nuclei | |
Dorlands/Elsevier | n_11/12583834 |
The sensory trigeminal nerve nucleus is the largest of the cranial nerve nuclei, and extends through the whole of the brainstem, midbrain to medulla.
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")
- The spinal trigeminal nucleus
The spinal trigeminal nucleus is further subdivided into three parts, from rostral to caudal:
- Pars Oralis
- Pars Interpolaris
- Pars Caudalis
There is also a distinct trigeminal motor nucleus that is medial to the chief sensory nucleus.