Emboliform nucleus

Emboliform nucleus

Cross-section of the cerebellum. Emboliform nucleus labeled at bottom-left.
Details
Latin nucleus emboliformis
Identifiers
Gray's p.796
NeuroNames hier-685
NeuroLex ID Emboliform Nucleus
Dorlands
/Elsevier		 n_11/12581167
TA A14.1.07.409
FMA 72538
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The emboliform nucleus (or anterior interposed nucleus) is a deep cerebellar nucleus that lies immediately to the medial side of the nucleus dentatus, and partly covering its hilus. It is one among the four pairs of cerebellar nuclei, which are from lateral to medial: the dentate, interposed (which consists of the emboliform and globose), and fastigial nuclei. These nuclei can be seen using the Weigert method staining.

Emboliform, from Ancient Greek, means "shaped like a plug or wedge".

Structure

The emboliform nucleus is a wedge-shaped structure of gray matter found at the medial side of the hilus of the dentate nucleus. Its neurons display a similar structure from those of the dentate nucleus. In some mammals the emboliform nucleus is continuous with the globose nucleus, forming together the interposed nucleus. When present, the interposed nucleus can be divided in an anterior and a posterior interposed nucleus, considered homologues of the emboliform and globose nuclei, respectively.[1]

Function

As a part of the interposed nucleus, the emboliform participates in the spinocerebellum, a system that regulates the precision of limb movements.[2] Axons leaving the emboliform exit through the superior cerebellar peduncle and reach the red nucleus in the midbrain and several thalamic nuclei which project into areas of the cerebral cortex that control limb movement.[3][2]

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. ↑ Carpenter, M. (1991). Core Text of Neuroanatomy. Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 978-0683014570.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kandel, ER.; Schwartz, JH.; Jessel, TM. (2000). Principles of Neural Science (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Medical. p. 843. ISBN 978-0838577011.
  3. ↑ Subramony, SH.; Dürr, A. (2011). Ataxic Disorders, Volume 103: Handbook of Clinical Neurology (1st ed.). Elsevier. p. 26. ISBN 978-0444518927.

External links