ANAT 321 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Cuneate Nucleus, David Ragsdale, Medial Lemniscus

• School: McGill University
• Department: Anatomy and Cell Biology
• Course: ANAT 321
• Professor: David Ragsdale

Document Summary

Fiber tract, peduncle, projection: refer to bundles of axons that convey signals in nervous system. Projection neurons: large neurons with long axons contributing to fiber tracts. Interneurons: short axon, connect functionally localized regions, usually inhibitory. Made of the medulla (connection to spinal cord), pons (connection to cerebellum) and midbrain (connection to cortical areas) Cerebral aqueduct connects the 4th ventricle to the 3rd ventricle. Brainstem functions are divided into 3 big categories: Brainstem is important for survival: conduit functions (connect parts of the nervous system, cranial nerve function. Integrative functions: controls autonomic nervous system, projects to cerebral cortex, which leads to consciousness. The brainstem connects the brain to the cerebellum and the spinal cord: every connection from the brain to the rest of the body passes by the brainstem. The caudal medulla is the part of the medulla most resembling the spinal cord. Dorsal nuclei axons commissurate in the medulla and ascend the rostral medulla through the medial lemniscus.