Oculomotor nucleus

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
(Redirected from Oculomotor nuclei)
Jump to: navigation, search
Oculomotor nucleus
Cn3nucleus.png
Section through superior colliculus showing path of oculomotor nerve.
Gray696.svg
The cranial nerve nuclei schematically represented; dorsal view. Motor nuclei in red; sensory in blue. (Oculomotor is "III")
Details
Latin nucleus nervi oculomotorii
Identifiers
NeuroNames hier-483
NeuroLex ID Oculomotor nuclear complex
Dorlands
/Elsevier
n_11/12581984
TA Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 744: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
TH {{#property:P1694}}
TE {{#property:P1693}}
FMA {{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy
[[[d:Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 863: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|edit on Wikidata]]]

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

The fibers of the oculomotor nerve arise from a nucleus in the midbrain, which lies in the gray substance of the floor of the cerebral aqueduct and extends in front of the aqueduct for a short distance into the floor of the third ventricle. From this nucleus the fibers pass forward through the tegmentum, the red nucleus, and the medial part of the substantia nigra, forming a series of curves with a lateral convexity, and emerge from the oculomotor sulcus on the medial side of the cerebral peduncle.

The nucleus of the oculomotor nerve does not consist of a continuous column of cells, but is broken up into a number of smaller nuclei, which are arranged in two groups, anterior and posterior. Those of the posterior group are six in number, five of which are symmetrical on the two sides of the middle line, while the sixth is centrally placed and is common to the nerves of both sides. The anterior group consists of two nuclei, an antero-medial and an antero-lateral .

The nucleus of the oculomotor nerve, considered from a physiological standpoint, can be subdivided into several smaller groups of cells, each group controlling a particular muscle.

A nearby nucleus, the Edinger-Westphal nucleus, is responsible for the autonomic functions of the oculomotor nerve, including pupillary constriction and lens accommodation.

Additional images

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links