Mesencephalic nucleus of trigeminal nerve

Brain: Mesencephalic nucleus of trigeminal nerve

The cranial nerve nuclei schematically represented; dorsal view. Motor nuclei in red; sensory in blue. (Trigeminal nerve nuclei are at "V".)
Latin	nucleus mesencephalicus nervi trigemini
Gray's	subject #187 787
NeuroNames	hier-550
MeSH	Trigeminal+nuclei
NeuroLex ID	birnlex_1010

The mesencephalic nucleus is involved with proprioception of the face, that is, the feeling of position of the muscles. Unlike many nuclei within the CNS, the mesencephalic nucleus contains no chemical synapses but are electrically coupled.^[1] Instead, neurons of this nucleus are pseudounipolar cells receiving proprioceptive information from the mandible, and sending projections to the motor trigeminal nucleus to mediate monosynaptic jaw jerk reflexes. It is also the only structure in the CNS to contain the cell bodies of a primary afferent, which are usually contained within ganglia (like the trigeminal ganglion).

References

^ Baker R, Llinás R (1971). "Electrotonic coupling between neurones in the rat mesencephalic nucleus". J. Physiol. (Lond.) 212 (1): 45–63. PMC 1395705. PMID 5545184. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1395705.

External links

Washington University

Human brain: mesencephalon (midbrain) (TA A14.1.06, GA 9.800)

Tectum
(Dorsal)

Surface	Corpora quadrigemina: Inferior colliculi (Brachium of inferior colliculus), Superior colliculi (Brachium of superior colliculus)

Grey matter	Pretectal area

White: Sensory/ascending	Spinotectal tract · Central tegmental tract

White: Motor/descending	Tectospinal tract

Peduncle
(Ventral)

Tegmentum

White: Sensory/ascending	lemnisci (Medial, Lateral) · Ascending MLF (Vestibulo-oculomotor fibers) · Spinothalamic tract · Anterior trigeminothalamic tract · Dentatothalamic tract

White: Motor/descending	Rubrospinal tract · Rubro-olivary tract · Descending MLF

Grey: cranial nuclei	GSA (V: Mesencephalic) - GSE (III: Oculomotor, IV: Trochlear) - GVE (III: Edinger-Westphal)

Grey: other	Periaqueductal gray/Raphe nuclei (Dorsal raphe nucleus) Ventral tegmental area • Pedunculopontine nucleus • Red nucleus riMLF

Ventricular system	Cerebral aqueduct

Base

White: Motor/descending	Cerebral crus: Corticospinal tract · Corticobulbar tract · Corticopontine tract/Frontopontine fibers/Temporopontine fibers

Grey: Substantia nigra	Pars compacta · Pars reticulata

Surface	Superior cerebellar peduncle (Decussation of superior cerebellar peduncles) · Interpeduncular fossa

M: CNS

anat(n/s/m/p/4/e/b/d/c/a/f/l/g)/phys/devp

noco(m/d/e/h/v/s)/cong/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(N1A/2AB/C/3/4/7A/B/C/D)

Nerves of head and neck: the cranial nerves and nuclei (TA A14.2.01, GA 9.855)

olfactory (AON->I)

olfactory bulb · olfactory tract

optic (LGN->II)

optic chiasm · optic tract

oculomotor
(ON, EWN->III)

superior branch (parasympathetic root of ciliary ganglion/ciliary ganglion) · inferior branch

trochlear (TN->IV)

no significant branches

trigeminal
(PSN, TSN, MN, TMN->V)

trigeminal ganglion • ophthalmic • maxillary • mandibular

abducens (AN->VI)

no significant branches

facial (FMN, SN, SSN->VII)

near origin	nervus intermedius • geniculate

inside facial canal	greater petrosal (pterygopalatine ganglion) · nerve to the stapedius · chorda tympani (lingual nerve, submandibular ganglion)

at stylomastoid foramen	posterior auricular · suprahyoid (digastric, stylohyoid) · parotid plexus (temporal, zygomatic, buccal, mandibular, cervical)

vestibulocochlear
(VN, CN->VIII)

cochlear (striae medullares, lateral lemniscus) • vestibular (Scarpa's ganglion)

glossopharyngeal
(NA, ISN, SN->IX)

before jugular fossa	ganglia (superior, inferior)

after jugular fossa	tympanic (tympanic plexus, lesser petrosal, otic ganglion) • stylopharyngeal branch • pharyngeal branches • tonsillar branches • lingual branches • carotid sinus

vagus
(NA, DNVN, SN->X)

before jugular fossa	ganglia (superior, inferior)

after jugular fossa	meningeal branch · auricular branch

neck	pharyngeal branch (pharyngeal plexus) · superior laryngeal (external, internal) · recurrent laryngeal (inferior) · superior cervical cardiac

thorax	inferior cardiac · pulmonary · vagal trunks (anterior, posterior)

abdomen	celiac · renal · hepatic · anterior gastric · posterior gastric

accessory (NA, SAN->XI)

cranial · spinal

hypoglossal (HN->XII)

lingual branches

M: PNS

anat(h/r/t/c/b/l/s/a)/phys(r)/devp/prot/nttr/nttm/ntrp

noco/auto/cong/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(N1B)

Mesencephalic nucleus of trigeminal nerve

See also

References

External links