Itisinvolvedinthecoordinationofmotormovementsaswellasbasicfacetsofmemoryandlearning

MidBrainActivation.Thetectumformstheroofofthecerebralaqueductwhichconnectsthethird
ventriclewiththefourthventricleandthetegmentumitsfloor.Theyaretheprimarymotorcortex
whereallpartsofthebodyarerepresentedthepremotorandsupplementarymotorareas.Onthe
lateralsurfaceofeachpedunclethereisasecondlongitudinalfurrowtermedthelateralsulcusthe
fibersofthelaterallemniscuscometothesurfaceinthissulcusandpassbackwardandupwardto
disappearundertheinferiorcolliculus.Thefibersoftherubrospinaltractariseintherednucleuscross
themidlineinthedecussationofForelandpassdownwardintheformatioreticularisofthebrainstem
intothelateralfuniculusofthespinalcordventraltothecrossedpyramidaltract.Thenucleusofthe
trigeminalnerveextendsalongtheentirelengthoftheaqueductandoccupiesthelateralpartofthe
graystratumwhilethenucleioftheoculomotorandtrochlearnervesaresituatedinitsventralpart.
Otherareasarealsoimportantincognitiveandintellectualprocesses.Thevisceralsystemisalso
knownastheautonomicsystem.Eachhemisphereiscomprisedoffoursectionscalledlobesfrontal
parietaltemporalandoccipital.Theyareusuallytheresultofacardioembolismabloodvessel
obstructionwithinoraroundtheheartmuscle.
Interneuronsofthereticularformationreceivesomeofthecorticobulbarfibersfromthemotor
cortex.WewillkeeptotheuseofthetermMidbrainasthishasbeenpopularisedbyrecent
developments.Theparscompactaistheinputportionofthecircuitandsuppliesthedopaminetothe
basalgangliatheareathatcontrolsmovementMidBrainActivation.Thethalamusalsoparticipates
inmotorcontrolandregulatingcortexexcitement.Theinferiorcolliculusreceivesbothcrossedand
uncrossedauditoryfibresandprojectsuponthemedialgeniculatebodytheauditoryrelaynucleusof
thethalamus.Theretheneuralconnectionsaremadethatenablethebraintodecidehowtoactin
responsetothesensoryinformationitreceives.Oftheefferentfiberssomecrossthemiddlelinetothe
oppositecolliculusmanyascendthroughthesuperiorbrachiumandfinallyreachthecortexofthe
occipitallobeofthecerebrumwhileothersafterundergoingdecussationformthetectospinal
fasciculuswhichdescendsthroughtheformatioreticularisoftheMidbrainponsandmedulla
oblongataintothemedullaspinaliswhereitisfoundpartlyintheanteriorfuniculusandpartly
intermingledwiththefibersoftherubrospinaltract.Landmarkstructuresincludetheheadofthe
caudatenucleustheanteriorlimboftheinternalcapsuletheglobuspallidusandputamenMidBrain
ActivationForAdults.Themotorsystemconsistsofmotorunitsandthesomaticsystemthespinal
reflexesthevisceralsystemthecerebellumseveralsubcorticalandcorticalsitesaswellasthebrain
stemocularmotorcontrolsystem.Thisisnotanindepthlookatalloftheresearchonthebrainsuch
aresourcewouldfillstacksofbooks.
ThebrainstemismadeupoftheMidbrainponsandmedullaoblongataMidBrainActivationFor
Adults.Althoughtheboundariesofthevariouslobesaresomewhatarbitrarythecorticalareasin
eachlobearehistologicallydistinctive.Stilldeeperisthestratumopticumcontaininglargemultipolar
nervecellsseparatedbynumerousfinenervefibers.Thebaseissemilunarontransversesectionand
consistsalmostentirelyoflongitudinalbundlesofefferentfiberswhicharisefromthecellsofthe
cerebralcortexandaregroupedintothreeprincipalsetsviz.IngeneraltheCNScanbedividedinto
threemainfunctionalcomponents:thesensorysystemthemotorsystemandhomeostaticandhigher
brainfunctions.Thelimbiclobeisnotatruelobeandiscomprisedofseveralcorticalregionssuchas
thecingulateandparahippocampalgyrisomesubcorticalareaslikethehippocampusamygdala
septumandotherareaswiththeirrespectiveascendinganddescendingconnectionsMidBrain
ActivationForAdults.Thehumannervoussystemisdividedintothecentralnervoussystemandthe
peripheralnervoussystem.Itislocateddirectingaboveourspinalcordandifyougethurtinthe
Medullayoushouldjustpackitin.OKletsbreakthebraindownintothreeareasthehindbrain
MidbrainandforebrainMidBrainActivationForAdults.Parkinsonsdiseaseiscausedbythe
deathofdopaminergicneuronsintheparscompacta.
CoronalSectionthroughtheRostralTelencephalon.Thetermsrostralandanteriorrefertoadirection
towardsthefacenose.Itsthecenterforvomitingcoughingandhiccupping.Notetoreaders:Ihave
beenunabletofindagoodpubliclyavailablediagramofthebrainthatwouldillustratemostofthe

areasdiscussedinthissection.Theventrallongitudinalbundleconsistsforthemostpartofthe
tectospinalfasciculusandarisesfromthesuperiorcolliculusthefibersarchventrallyaroundthe
centralgraymatterandcrossthemidlineinthefountaindecussationofMeynert.TheCSFis
producedbythechoroidplexuswhichiscomposedofaspecializedsecretoryependymallayerlocated
intheventricularsystem.Mostcrossedascendingfibresofthisbundleprojecttothalamicnuclei
whichhaveaccesstotheprimarymotorcortexMidBrainActivationForAdults.ThePNSis
dividedintotwosystems:thevisceralsystemandthesomaticsystem.Whitenervefibersunderneath
carrysignalsbetweenthenervecellsandotherpartsofthebrainandbody.7Cisasectiontakenatthe
levelofthemidpons.
Thelongitudinalpartofthissulcusexpandssuperiorlytoformaslightdepressionwhichsupportsthe
pinealbodyaconelikestructurewhichprojectsbackwardfromthethalamencephalonandpartly
obscuresthesuperiorcolliculi.AstrokeintheMidbrainalsocalledaposteriorcerebralarterystroke
islesscommonthanthosewhichaffecttheanteriorormiddlecerebralarteries.Thenucleiofthe5th
6th7thandthe8thnervesarelocatedintheponstegmentum.Landmarkstructuresincludethefourth
ventriclehypoglossalnucleusinferiorcerebellarpeduncleinferiorolivarycomplexandthepyramids
MidBrainActivationForAdults.Thespinalnerveisformedbythejoiningofthedorsalandthe
ventralroots.ThecerebralcortexistheouterlayerofthebraincalledgraymatterMidBrain
Activation.Theposteriorsurfaceofthemedullaformsthecaudalhalfofthefourthventriclefloor
andthecerebellumitsroof.Thereceptororgansarescatteredinallpartsofthebodysenseand
perceivechangesfromexternalandinternalorgansthentransformthisinformationtoelectrical
signalswhicharecarriedviaanextensivenervousnetworktotheCNS.Typicallyaspartofthelower
braincentresthemidbrainisnotsubjecttoanseparateconsciousawareness.Atthelevelofthepons
thecerebralaqueducthasexpandedtoformthefourthventricle.
Insomecasesadevicecanbeplacedinthebraintostimulatetheareasrelatedtomovementandhelp
controlsymptomsbutthisisusuallyonlyrecommendedforpatientswhodontrespondtomedications.
Schematicshowingtheorientationofthebrainintheskullcranium.OftentheMidbrainponsand
medullaarereferredtotogetherasthebrainstem.Therednucleusandthesubstantianigratwo
prominentnucleiarealsofoundintheMidbraintegmentum.Thecerebralcortexiswhatwesee
whenwelookatthebrain.LimbicSystem:Thelimbicsystemoftenreferredtoastheemotionalbrain
isfoundburiedwithinthecerebrum.Thecorpuscallosumformsathickbandofdecussatingnerve
fiberslocatedabovethelateralventricles.longandliesunderthesuperiorcolliculusbeyondwhich
howeveritextendsforashortdistanceintothegraysubstanceofthethirdventricle.Againfibersare
saidtobeprolongedthroughthisfasciculusfromthenucleusoftheoculomotornerveintothefacial
nerveandaredistributedtotheOrbicularisoculitheCorrugatorandtheFrontalisMidBrain
ActivationForAdults.Thearterialbloodsupplytothespinalcordisderivedfromtwobranchesof
vertebralarterytheanteriorandtwoposteriorspinalarterieswhichrunthelengthofthespinalcord
andformanirregularplexusaroundit.
Thecerebellumiscomprisedofsmalllobesandreceivesinformationfromthebalancesystemofthe
innerearsensorynervesandtheauditoryandvisualsystems.Itreceivesfibersfromtheopposite
terminalsensorynucleiofthevagusglossopharyngealfacialtrigeminalandprobablythevestibular
nerves.Therearetwolateralventriclesoneineachcerebralhemisphere.Intheponsandlowerpartof
themidbrainitoccupiestheventralpartofthereticularformationandtegmentumclosetotheraph
whileaboveitgraduallyshiftstothedorsolateralpartofthetegmentumintheanglebetweenthered
nucleusandthesubstantianigra.Fromthecellsofthegraynucleusfibersareprolongedthroughthe
inferiorbrachiumintothetegmentumofthecerebralpeduncleandarecarriedtothethalamusandthe
cortexofthetemporallobeotherfiberscrossthemiddlelineandendintheoppositecolliculus.Once
youlearnhowtoaccesstheinterbrainyoucanbecomeasuperhuman.Mostofthesefibersare
crossedbutsomeareuncrossed.cerebrospinalfrontopontineandtemporopontine.Theinferior
surfaceofthetemporalloberestsonthetentoriumcerebelli.Theinferiorcolliculiarepartofthe
auditorypathwayandsendinformationtothemedialgeniculatebodiesofthethalamus.