What is the function of the pons in the brainstem?
What is the function of the pons in the brainstem?
The pons is part of a highway-like structure between the brain and the body known as the brainstem. The brainstem is made up of three sections, and carries vital information to the body. The pons relays information about motor function, sensation, eye movement, hearing, taste, and more.
What is pons function?
The pons contains nuclei that relay signals from the forebrain to the cerebellum, along with nuclei that deal primarily with sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, facial sensation, and posture.
What part of the brain is made of pons?
brainstem
The pons is a major division of the brainstem. It is found above the medulla and below the midbrain, and is anterior to (in front of) the cerebellum.
What is the pons made up of?
The pons consists mainly of sensory and motor nerve fibres passing between the midbrain, cerebellum and medulla oblongata. The nerve cells of the fifth, sixth and seventh cranial nerves are scattered among the fibres.
What cranial nerves are in the pons?
There is one cranial nerve associated with the pons proper, the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V). Three other cranial nerves are located at the pontomedullary junction: the abducens nerve (cranial nerve VI), the facial nerve(cranial nerve VII), and the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII).
Does the pons control balance?
It also aids in our sense of taste and swallowing. The pons relays sensory information between the cerebrum and cerebellum. Functions under the control of the cerebellum include fine motor coordination and control, balance, equilibrium, muscle tone, fine motor coordination, and a sense of body position.
What happens when the pons in the brain is damaged?
When the injury to the pons is complete, the patient may pass away. If a patient with a complete injury survives, he or she could develop locked in syndrome. In this syndrome, the person has no sensory or motor function, except for the ability to move their eyes up and down. Some people can also blink.
What is the left pons?
The pons is a small region of the brain located in the brainstem. It is a relatively small part of the lower brain. It is sometimes also called the hindbrain. The medulla oblongata is the part of the brain that sends messages to the spinal cord. The pons connects these two structures.
Is the midbrain part of the brainstem?
The midbrain is the topmost part of the brainstem, the connection central between the brain and the spinal cord. There are three main parts of the midbrain – the colliculi, the tegmentum, and the cerebral peduncles.
What tracts are in the pons?
Internal structures of the base of pons include longitudinal bundles of corticospinal tracts, transverse fibers of pontocerebellar tracts and acoustic pathway, and by the pontine nuclei, adjacent to the other fibers.
Which portion of the brain establishes regularity of respiration?
Medulla – The primary role of the medulla is regulating our involuntary life sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing and heart rate. As part of the brain stem, it also helps transfer neural messages to and from the brain and spinal cord.
What is the function of”Pons”in brain?
The pons contains nerves and nerve tracts (pathways) that integrate brain functions such as movement and sensory messages between the brain and the body. The pons also coordinates balance in the head, neck, and body and plays a primary role in eye movement, sleeping, dreaming, digestion, swallowing, breathing, and the heartbeat.
Are pons part of the brain stem?
The pons is a region of the brain located in the brainstem. The pons is relatively small, and it is located in the lower part of the brain, connecting the cerebral cortex with the medulla oblongata.
Is Pons a component of the brainstem?
Pons is the largest component of the brainstem located distal to the midbrain and proximal to the medulla oblongata. Any obstruction of blood supply to the pons, whether acute or chronic, causes pontine infarction, a type of ischemic stroke.
What is the function of the pons in the brain?
Its function is mostly to provide input to the cerebellar cortex through structures known as the pontine nuclei, which allow the cerebellum to coordinate most of its control. The main function of pons is to basically act as a bridge or highway for relay of many signals to and from the cerebrum and the cerebellum.