CAM304 Lecture 10: Brainstem
Document Summary
Divisions of the brainstem: the brainstem is divided into three parts: midbrain, pons, and medulla. Ventricular system: the fourth ventricle is in the brainstem at the junction of the pons and medulla, the cerebral aqueduct is dorsal to the pons. Horizontal sections of the brainstem: according to convention, posterior at the top, and anterior at the bottom. Cnviii are located at the junction of rostral medulla and caudal pons. It is here that the arcuate fibres form medial lemniscus pathway from the nucleus gracilis and cuneatus. Therefore, those nuclei are not visible in rostral medulla: pain and temperature modalities from the face enter pons with cnv, descend through pons, medulla, and upper spinal cord as the spinal trigeminal tract, and synapse in svn. *als- contains decussated fibres of the spinothalamic tract. Blood supply to medulla: anterior spinal artery, vertebral artery, posterior inferior cerebellar artery (pica) and posterior spinal artery.
