Function of pons

A good night’s sleep is essential to living a superhero life. — Jim Kwik, trainer of Mindvalley’s Superbrain Quest Mental and physical exercises are only part of the process to ensure the longevity of your brain. To give your brain a boost and improve your mental function, you also need to get a good night’s sleep. The most refreshing sleep is pons. The pons is the upper section of the brain stem that plays an important role in many essential processes. In this article, we’ll examine the main pons function and explain how this small structure helps your whole body function properly. What Is the Work of Pons in the Brain? Located above the the pons is an important part of the brain stem. Measuring just under an inch, the pons connects the thinking part of your brain (the cerebrum) to the part of your brain that regulates movement (the In combination with the medulla oblongata, the pons also connects the cerebrum to the spinal cord and ensures nerve impulses travel freely through your whole body. Simply put, the pons acts as a bridge in your nervous system, so it’s no surprise that its name means “bridge” in Latin. Apart from connecting different parts of the nervous system, the pons is also home to some essential cranial nerve nuclei. Thanks to this, it plays a part in sensory and motor functions of the face, hearing, and eye movement. The pons is also partially responsible for voluntary movements, as well as balance. What Does the Pons Regulate? In addition to all these fu...

Pons Varolii - Structure and Function What is Brainstem? Brainstem is the part of the brain that is formed by the midbrain, medulla oblongata and pons. The largest segment of the brainstem is the pons. It connects the descending and ascending tracts between the spinal cord and brain. It also contains many centers for the regulation of vital functions in the body. Pons Varolii Pons or pons varolii is a component of the brainstem. It forms a bridge between the midbrain and medulla oblongata. It is located anterior to the cerebellar region. Thus it acts as a major pathway that passes information from the brain to the cerebellum through the brainstem. Also Read: Pons – Structure Pons is around 2.5 cm in length and is the largest portion of the brainstem. The pons has two surfaces – ventral and dorsal, and two borders – superior and inferior. Ventral Surface The ventral surface of pons is convex in both directions (from backward and from side to side). It forms a large vertical groove called the basilar groove along the median plane. Furthermore, the trigeminal nerve is attached to this surface. Dorsal Surface The dorsal surface of the pons is covered by the cerebellum, and separated from it by the cavity of the 4th ventricle. The dorsal surface of the pons is triangular and forms the upper part of the floor of the 4th ventricle. Additionally, the internal section of pons shows a large ventral or basilar part called the basis pontis, and a small dorsal or tegmental part called ...

P. Brodal, in Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences (Second Edition), 2014 Functional Neuroanatomy The pons is divided into ventral (or basal) and dorsal tegmental parts, separated at most levels by the medial lemniscus ( Figures 1(a) and (b)). The ventral pons consists of the precerebellar pontine nuclei and the brachium pontis (formed by the efferent fibers of the pontine nuclei). The pontine tegmentum contains cranial nerve nuclei and several subnuclei of the reticular formation: the parabrachial area or nuclei (PBN), caudal parts of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPN), laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTN), locus coeruleus complex, and raphe nuclei. The latter reticular neuronal groups are largely confined to the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum and contain many widely scattered cholinergic and monoaminergic neurons that are partly intermingled and partly in separate groups. Such neurons – together with serotonergic neurons in the raphe nuclei – are involved in the control of attention and the sleep–wake cycle. A part of the parabrachial area transmits gustatory signals to the thalamus. Other parts receive nociceptive information from lamina-I neurons in the spinal cord dorsal horn and project it to the amygdala and other nuclei that may be involved in the emotional aspects of pain perception. The so-called pontine micturition center (Barrington's nucleus) is located in the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum. The paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF), ve...

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