Pedunculopontine nucleus
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
| Brain: Pedunculopontine nucleus | ||
|---|---|---|
| Latin | nucleus tegmentalis pedunculopontinus | |
| NeuroNames | hier-495 | |
| MeSH | Pedunculopontine+Tegmental+Nucleus | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | n_11/12583626 | |
The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) (or pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, PPTN) is located in the brainstem, caudal to the substantia nigra and adjacent to the superior cerebellar peduncle. It is composed by a wide variety of neurochemical cell types, including cholinergic, glutamatergic and GABAergic cells. In the classical sense, the PPN is considered to be one of the main components of the reticular activating system.
Projections
One of the distinctive characteristics of the PPN is the wide range of its projections. PPN neurons send their axons to several targets in the thalamus, basal ganglia, cerebral cortex, basal forebrain, and lower brainstem. A particularly interesting area for the study of PPN projections is the basal ganglia, due to the high level of interconnectivity between them. The complex receives direct afferences from the medial pallidum.
Functions
The PPN is involved in many functions, including arousal, attention, learning, reward, and locomotion. It is also implicated in the generation and maintenance of REM sleep.
External links
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
