Pons: Ventral Surface

„ Pontine protuberance
… Pontine sulcus
„ Cranial nerves
… Abducens
… Facial
… Vesitbulochoclear
… Trigeminal
… Oculomotor
… Trochlear
„ Cerebral peduncle
… ‘foot’
of the cortex
[cerebrum]
Pons: 2 Divisions
„ Basis Pontis
… Pontine nuclei
… Corticospinal tract
… Corticobulbar tract
… Cortcopontocerebellar
tract
„ Rapid correction of
movements
Pons: 2 Divisions
„ Tegmentum
… Reticular formation
… Specific sensory lemniscal
system
„ Medial lemniscus
„ Trigeminal
„ Spinothalamic
… Central tegmental tract
„ Basal ganglia -> midbrain ->
inferior olive
… Locus ceruleus
„ Involved in Parkinson’s,
Alzheimer’s, Down’s syndrome
„ Output to:
… Cortex, cerebellum,
hippocampus, hypothalamus,
and spinal cord
 Vestibulocochlear Nerve: Cochlear
Division
„ Organ of Corti
… Auditory organ
„ Dorsal cochlear
nucleus
… High-frequency
sound
„ Ventral cochlear
nucleus
… Low-frequency
sound
 Vestibulocochlear Nerve: Cochlear
Division
„ Dorsal acoustic stria
„ Ventral acoustic
stria
… Aka trapezoid body
„ Intermediate
acoustic stria
 Vestibulocochlear Nerve: Cochlear
Division
„ Lateral lemniscus
„ Inferior colliculus
„ Medial geniculate
nucleus
… Thalamus

„ Auditory cortex
… Heschel’sgyrus
… Temporal lobe
 Olivocochlear bundle
„ Origin: periolivary area
„ Destination: Organ of Corti
„ Feedback to hair cells
„ Possible functions
… Protective against loud sound
… Frequency selectivity
… Selective auditory attention
„ Example: speech in noisy
background
Vestibulocochlear Nerve: vestibular
Division
„ Semicircular canals
… Angular acceleration
„ Utricle/Saccule
… Linear acceleration
… Gravity
„ Scarpa’s ganglion
… Location of cell bodies
„ Vestibular nerve
„ Vestibular nuclei
„ Cerebellum
Input to Vestibular Nuclei
„ Vestibular nerve
„ Spinal cord
„ Cerebellum
„ Vestibular cortex
 Output of the Vestibular Nuclei
„ Spinal cord
… Lateral vestibulospinal tract
„ Facilitate flexor motor neurons
… Medial vestibulospinal tract
„ Facilitate extensor motor
neurons
„ Dorsal motor nucleus of the
vagus
… Motion sickness
… Nausea, sweating, vomiting
 Output of the Vestibular Nuclei
„ Cerebellum
… Via juxtarestiform body
„ Primary vestibular cortex
… Via thalamus
„ Nuclei of extraocular
muscles
… Medial longitudinal fasciculus
… Project on nuclei of
„ Oculmotor
„ Trochlear
„ Abducens
Conjugate Eye Movements
„ ‘yoked together’
„ Nystagmus
… Involuntary rhythmic oscillations of the eyes
„ 2 pathways
… Medial longitudinal fasciculus
… Reticular formation
Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus
Syndrome
„ Paralysis of
adduction ipsilateral
to MLF lesion
„ Nystagmus of the
other eye
Facial Nerve (VII)
„ Sensory
… Ear
„ Spinal trigeminal
nucleus
… Anterior 2/3 tongue
„ Nucleus solitarius
 Facial Nerve (VII)
„ Motor
… Face
„ Facial motor nucleus
… Salivary glands
„ Submandibular
„ Sublingual

„ Lacrimal

„ Origin
… Superior salivatory
nucleus
 Central Facial Paresis
„ Bilateral innervation to
upper facial muscles
„ Contralateral to lower
facial muscles
„ Damage to one
hemisphere therefore
affects lower facial
muscles
contralaterally, only.
 Facial Nerve Lesions
„ Bell’s Palsy
… Facial nerve paralysis
„ Proximal to ganglion
… Eyes can still tear up
„ Distal to ganglion
„ Motor fibers
… Facial muscle paralysis
only
Abducens (VI)
„ Motor
… Lateral rectus
muscle
„ Modulated by
… Corticospinal tract
… Reticular nucleus
… Vestibular nuclei
Lesions of Abducens
„ Paralysis of
ipsilateral lateral
rectus muscle (B)
„ Diplopia (A)
… ‘double vision’
… When attempting to
gaze towards
lesioned side
Lateral Gaze Paralysis
„ Abducens nucleus
sends output to
contralateral
oculomotor nucleus
… Medialrectus
muscle of the other
eye
 Trigeminal Nerve (V)
„ Sensory
… Head/Neck
… Proprioception
… Pain/temperature/touch
… Semilunar ganglion
„ Motor
… Mastication
Pons: Clinical Correlates
Caudal Basal Pontine Syndrome

„ Millard-Gubler
Syndrome
„ Lesion of abducens
„ Lesion of facial
„ Lesion of
corticospinal tract
Tegmental Pontine Syndrome
„ Abducens
„ Facial
„ Medial lemniscus
One-and-a-half Syndrome
„ Abducens
… “One”

„ Medial longitudinal
fasciculus
… “Half”