The pons is part of the brainstem right in between the midbrain and the medulla oblongata in

front of the cerebellum. The groove between the pons and the medulla is called the inferior
pontine sulcus. The superior pontine sulcus separates the pons from the midbrain. The pons
can be divided into two parts: basilar part (ventral pons), and the pontine tegmentum (dorsal
pons). Along the midline of the ventral surface is the basilar sulcus, a groove for the basilar
artery. Most of the pons are supplied by the pontine arteries, which arise from the basilar artery.
A smaller portion of the pons is supplied by the anterior and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries.

The pons in humans measure about 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in). Most of it is a broad anterior
bulge above the medulla. Posteriorly, it consists mainly of two pairs of thick stalks called
cerebellar peduncles. They connect the cerebellum to the pons (middle cerebellar peduncle)
and midbrain (superior cerebellar peduncle).

While a fetus, the metencephalon develops from the rhombencephalon and creating two
structures: the pons and the cerebellum. The alar plate produces sensory neuroblasts, which
will make the solitary nucleus and the special visceral afferent (SVA) column; the cochlear and
vestibular nuclei, which makes the special somatic afferent (SSA) fibers of the vestibulocochlear
nerve, the spinal and principal trigeminal nerve nuclei, which comprise the general somatic
afferent column (GSA) of the trigeminal nerve, and the pontine nuclei which relays to the
cerebellum.

Basal plate neuroblasts make the abducens nucleus, which in turn makes the general somatic
efferent fibers (GSE); the facial and motor trigeminal nuclei, which form the special visceral
efferent (SVE) column, and the superior salivatory nucleus, which forms the general visceral
efferent fibers (GVE) of the facial nerve.

Functions of these four cranial nerves (V-VIII) include control of involuntary actions, regulation of
respiration, and much more. The pons has nuclei that send signals from the forebrain to the
cerebellum, plus nuclei that help with sleep, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, respiration,
facial expressions, eye movement, and much more. In the pons is the pneumotaxic center made
up of the subparabrachial and the medial parabrachial nuclei. These are in charge of
respiration, and may be involved in sleep paralysis. The pons evolved as an offshoot of the
medullary reticular formation 525 million years ago.