Reticular formation

Reticular formation
Coronal section of the pons, at its upper part.[1] (Formatio reticularis labeled at left.)
Traverse section of the medulla oblongata at about the middle of the olive. (Formatio reticularis grisea and formatio reticularis alba labeled at left.)
Details
LocationBrainstem, hypothalamus and other regions
Identifiers
Latinformatio reticularis
MeSHD012154
NeuroNames1223
NeuroLex IDnlx_143558
TA98A14.1.00.021
A14.1.05.403
A14.1.06.327
TA25367
FMA77719
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei in the brainstem that spans from the lower end of the medulla oblongata to the upper end of the midbrain.[2] The neurons of the reticular formation make up a complex set of neural networks in the core of the brainstem.[3] It is not anatomically well defined, because it includes neurons located in different parts of the brain.

The reticular formation is functionally divided into the ascending pathways to the cortex in the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS), and the descending pathways to the spinal cord in the descending reticular system via the reticulospinal tracts.[4][5][6][7] Due to its extent along the brainstem it may be divided into different areas such as the midbrain reticular formation, the central mesencephalic reticular formation, the pontine reticular formation, the paramedian pontine reticular formation, the dorsolateral pontine reticular formation, and the medullary reticular formation.[8]

Neurons of the ARAS basically act as an on/off switch to the cerebral cortex and hence play a crucial role in regulating wakefulness; behavioral arousal and consciousness are functionally related in the reticular formation using a number of neurotransmitter arousal systems. The overall functions of the reticular formation are modulatory and premotor,[A] involving somatic motor control, cardiovascular control, pain modulation, sleep and consciousness, and habituation.[9] The modulatory functions are primarily found in the rostral sector of the reticular formation and the premotor functions are localized in the neurons in more caudal regions.

The reticular formation is divided into three columns: raphe nuclei (median), gigantocellular reticular nuclei (medial zone), and parvocellular reticular nuclei (lateral zone). The raphe nuclei are the place of synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays an important role in mood regulation. The gigantocellular nuclei are involved in motor coordination. The parvocellular nuclei regulate exhalation.[10]

The reticular formation is essential for governing some of the basic functions of higher organisms. It is phylogenetically old and found in lower vertebrates.[2]

  1. ^ Gray, Henry. "Fig. 701: Henry Gray (1825–1861). Anatomy of the Human Body. 1918". Bartleby.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  2. ^ a b Brodal, Per (2010). The central nervous system: structure and function (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 373. ISBN 9780195381153.
  3. ^ a b Purves, Dale (2011). Neuroscience (5. ed.). Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer. pp. 390–395. ISBN 978-0878936953.
  4. ^ Singh, Vishram (2014). Volume of Anatomy Volume III. p. 372. ISBN 9788131237274.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ARAS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Augustine JR (2016). "Chapter 9: The Reticular Formation". Human Neuroanatomy (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. pp. 141–153. ISBN 978-1119073994. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  7. ^ Jones, BE (2008). "Modulation of cortical activation and behavioral arousal by cholinergic and orexinergic systems". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1129 (1): 26–34. Bibcode:2008NYASA1129...26J. doi:10.1196/annals.1417.026. PMID 18591466. S2CID 16682827.
  8. ^ Wang, N; Perkins, E; Zhou, L; Warren, S; May, PJ (2017). "Reticular Formation Connections Underlying Horizontal Gaze: The Central Mesencephalic Reticular Formation (cMRF) as a Conduit for the Collicular Saccade Signal". Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. 11: 36. doi:10.3389/fnana.2017.00036. PMC 5403835. PMID 28487639.
  9. ^ Saladin, Kenneth S. (2011). Human anatomy (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 410. ISBN 9780071222075.
  10. ^ "The Brain From Top To Bottom". Thebrain.mcgill.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2016-04-28.


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