| Inferior olivary nucleus |
Microcircuitry of the cerebellum. Excitatory synapses are denoted by (+) and inhibitory synapses by (-).
MF: Mossy fiber.
DCN: Deep cerebellar nuclei.
IO: Inferior olive.
CF: Climbing fiber.
CFC: Climbing fiber collateral.
GC: Granule cell.
PF: Parallel fiber.
PC: Purkinje cell.
GgC: Golgi cell.
SC: Stellate cell.
BC: Basket cell. |
|
Transverse section of medulla oblongata below the middle of the olive. (Inferior olivary nucleus labeled at center right.)
|
| Details |
| Latin |
Complexus olivaris inferior,
nuclei olivares inferiores |
| Part of |
Olivary body |
| Identifiers |
| Gray's |
p.781 |
| MeSH |
A08.186.211.132.810.406.574 |
| NeuroNames |
hier-696 |
| TA |
A14.1.04.008
A14.1.04.219 |
| FMA |
72243 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy |
The inferior olivary nucleus, also called inferior olive, is the largest nucleus situated in the olivary body, part of the medulla oblongata. It is involved in motor control. It is a major source of input to the cerebellum. The hypoglossal nucleus sends its fibers ventrally between the pyramid and inferior olivary nucleus to exit as the hypoglossal nerve.
Contents
- 1 Function
- 2 Anatomy
- 3 Pathology
- 4 Additional images
- 5 References
- 6 External links
Function
It is closely associated with the cerebellum, meaning that it is involved in control and coordination of movements,[1] sensory processing and cognitive tasks likely by encoding the timing of sensory input independently of attention or awareness .[2][3] [4] Lesions to the inferior olive have been associated with a decreased ability to perfect highly specialized motor tasks, such as improving one's accuracy in hitting a target with a ball.[5] There is some evidence that it is stimulated by ghrelin.[6]
Anatomy
It consists of a gray folded lamina arranged in the form of an incomplete capsule, opening medially by an aperture called the hilum.
Olivocerebellar fibers are neurons that have their cell bodies in the inferior olivary nucleus.[7] Their axons leave medially through the hilum, cross the midline, and ascend into the cerebellum via the inferior cerebellar peduncle.[7] Once they enter the cerebellum, they are referred to as the climbing fibers.[7] Finally, they terminate by synapsing in the cerebellar cortex, including the cortex of the vermis, paramedian lobule, and the cerebellar hemispheres.[7]
The fibers leaving the inferior olivary nucleus at the hilum may be referred to as the "peduncle" of the olive. They cross with those from the opposite olive in the raphe. After the raphe, they may be referred to as the internal arcuate fibers.
The fibers are smaller than the internal arcuate fibers connected with the medial lemniscus.
Fibers passing in the opposite direction from the cerebellum to the olivary nucleus are often described as the CTT, but their existence is doubtful.
Much uncertainty exists also with regard to the connections of the olive and the spinal cord.
Important connections between the cerebrum and the olive of the same side exist, but the exact pathway is unknown.
Many collaterals from the reticular formation and from the pyramids enter the inferior olivary nucleus.
Removal of one cerebellar hemisphere is followed by atrophy of the opposite olivary nucleus.
Pathology
Hypertrophy has been associated with progressive supranuclear palsy.[8]
Additional images
-
Section of the medulla oblongata at about the middle of the olive.
-
Diagram showing the course of the arcuate fibers.
-
Sagittal section through right cerebellar hemisphere. The right olive has also been cut sagitally.
-
Human brain frontal (coronal) section
References
- ^ "Medical Neurosciences".
- ^ Xu D, Liu T, Ashe J, Bushara KO. Role of the olivo-cerebellar system in timing. J Neurosci 2006; 26: 5990-5.
- ^ Liu T, Xu D, Ashe J, Bushara K. Specificity of inferior olive response to stimulus timing. J Neurophysiol 2008; 100: 1557-61.
- ^ Wu X, Ashe J, Bushara KO. Role of olivocerebellar system in timing without awareness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011.
- ^ Martin TA, Keating JG, Goodkin HP, Bastian AJ, Thach WT. Throwing while looking through prisms. I. Focal olivocerebellar lesions impair adaptation. Brain 1996; 119: 1183-1198.
- ^ Zhang W, Lin TR, Hu Y, Fan Y, Zhao L, Mulholland MW (2003). "Activation of c-fos expression in the rat inferior olivary nucleus by ghrelin". Neurosci. Lett. 353 (3): 157–60. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2003.08.083. PMID 14665405.
- ^ a b c d Gado, Thomas A. Woolsey ; Joseph Hanaway ; Mokhtar H. (2003). The brain atlas a visual guide to the human central nervous system (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. p. 206. ISBN 0-471-43058-7.
- ^ Hanihara T, Amano N, Takahashi T, Itoh Y, Yagishita S (1998). "Hypertrophy of the inferior olivary nucleus in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy". Eur. Neurol. 39 (2): 97–102. doi:10.1159/000007915. PMID 9520070.
External links
- Illustration and text: Bs97/TEXT/P6/overview.htm at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical school
This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
|
Anatomy of the medulla
|
|
| Dorsal |
| Surface |
- Posterior median sulcus
- Posterolateral sulcus
- Area postrema
- Vagal trigone
- Hypoglossal trigone
- Medial eminence
|
|
| Grey: Cranial nuclei |
| afferent: |
- GVA: Solitary nucleus/tract/Dorsal respiratory group
- SVA: Gustatory nucleus
- GSA: Vestibular nuclei
|
|
| efferent: |
- GSE: Hypoglossal nucleus
- GVE: Nucleus ambiguus
- SVE: Dorsal nucleus of vagus nerve
- Inferior salivatory nucleus
|
|
|
| Grey: other |
- Gracile nucleus
- Cuneate nucleus
- Accessory cuneate nucleus
|
|
| White: Sensory/ascending |
- Sensory decussation
- Medial lemniscus
- Inferior cerebellar peduncle
- Ascending dorsal longitudinal fasciculus
- Medial longitudinal fasciculus
|
|
| White: Motor/descending |
- Descending dorsal longitudinal fasciculus
- Medial longitudinal fasciculus
|
|
|
| Ventral |
| White: Motor/descending |
- Motor decussation
- Olivocerebellar tract
- Rubro-olivary tract
|
|
| Grey matter |
- Ventral respiratory group
- Arcuate nucleus of medulla
- Inferior olivary nucleus
- Rostral ventromedial medulla
|
|
| Surface |
- Anterior median fissure
- Anterolateral sulcus
- Olive
- Pyramid
|
|
|
Grey: Raphe/
reticular |
- Reticular formation
- Gigantocellular
- Parvocellular
- Ventral
- Lateral
- Paramedian
- Raphe nuclei
|
|
Index of the central nervous system
|
|
| Description |
- Anatomy
- meninges
- cortex
- association fibers
- commissural fibers
- lateral ventricles
- basal ganglia
- diencephalon
- mesencephalon
- fourth ventricle
- pons
- cerebellum
- medulla
- spinal cord
- Physiology
- Development
|
|
| Disease |
- Meningitis
- Demyelinating diseases
- Seizures and epilepsy
- Headache
- Stroke
- Sleep
- Congenital
- Injury
- Neoplasms and cancer
- Other
- Symptoms and signs
- head and neck
- eponymous
- lesions
|
|
| Treatment |
- Procedures
- Drugs
- general anesthetics
- analgesics
- addiction
- epilepsy
- cholinergics
- migraine
- Parkinson's
- vertigo
- other
|
|
|
|
Brain and spinal cord: neural tracts and fasciculi
|
|
Sensory/
ascending |
| PCML |
| 1°: |
- Pacinian corpuscle/Meissner's corpuscle → Posterior column (Gracile fasciculus/Cuneate fasciculus) → Gracile nucleus/Cuneate nucleus
|
|
| 2°: |
- → sensory decussation/arcuate fibers (Posterior external arcuate fibers, Internal arcuate fibers) → Medial lemniscus/Trigeminal lemniscus → Thalamus (VPL, VPM)
|
|
| 3°: |
- → Posterior limb of internal capsule → Postcentral gyrus
|
|
|
Anterolateral/
pain |
| Fast/lateral |
- 1° (Free nerve ending → A delta fiber) → 2° (Anterior white commissure → Lateral and Anterior Spinothalamic tract → Spinal lemniscus → VPL of Thalamus) → 3° (Postcentral gyrus) → 4° (Posterior parietal cortex)
2° (Spinomesencephalic tract → Superior colliculus of Midbrain tectum)
|
|
| Slow/medial |
- 1° (Group C nerve fiber → Spinoreticular tract → Reticular formation) → 2° (MD of Thalamus) → 3° (Cingulate cortex)
|
|
|
|
Motor/
descending |
| Pyramidal |
- flexion: Primary motor cortex → Posterior limb of internal capsule → Decussation of pyramids → Corticospinal tract (Lateral, Anterior) → Neuromuscular junction
|
|
| Extrapyramidal |
| flexion: |
- Primary motor cortex → Genu of internal capsule → Corticobulbar tract → Facial motor nucleus → Facial muscles
|
|
| flexion: |
- Red nucleus → Rubrospinal tract
|
|
| extension: |
- Vestibulocerebellum → Vestibular nuclei → Vestibulospinal tract
|
|
| extension: |
- Vestibulocerebellum → Reticular formation → Reticulospinal tract
|
|
- Midbrain tectum → Tectospinal tract → muscles of neck
|
|
|
| Basal ganglia |
| direct: |
1° (Motor cortex → Striatum) → 2° (GPi) → 3° (Lenticular fasciculus/Ansa lenticularis → Thalamic fasciculus → VL of Thalamus) → 4° (Thalamocortical radiations → Supplementary motor area) → 5° (Motor cortex)
|
|
| indirect: |
1° (Motor cortex → Striatum) → 2° (GPe) → 3° (Subthalamic fasciculus → Subthalamic nucleus) → 4° (Subthalamic fasciculus → GPi) → 5° (Lenticular fasciculus/Ansa lenticularis → Thalamic fasciculus → VL of Thalamus) → 6° (Thalamocortical radiations → Supplementary motor area) → 7° (Motor cortex)
|
|
| nigrostriatal pathway: |
|
|
|
|
| Cerebellar |
| Afferent |
- Vestibular nuclei → Vestibulocerebellar tract → ICP → Cerebellum → Granule cell
- Pontine nuclei → Pontocerebellar fibers → MCP → Deep cerebellar nuclei → Granule cell
- Inferior olivary nucleus → Olivocerebellar tract → ICP → Hemisphere → Purkinje cell → Deep cerebellar nuclei
|
|
| Efferent |
- Dentate nucleus in Lateral hemisphere/pontocerebellum → SCP → Dentatothalamic tract → Thalamus (VL) → Motor cortex
- Interposed nucleus in Intermediate hemisphere/spinocerebellum → SCP → Reticular formation, or → Cerebellothalamic tract → Red nucleus → Thalamus (VL) → Motor cortex
- Fastigial nucleus in Flocculonodular lobe/vestibulocerebellum → Vestibulocerebellar tract → Vestibular nuclei
|
|
Bidirectional:
Spinocerebellar |
Unconscious
proprioception |
- lower limb → 1° (muscle spindles → DRG) → 2° (Posterior thoracic nucleus → Dorsal/posterior spinocerebellar tract → ICP → Cerebellar vermis)
- upper limb → 1° (muscle spindles → DRG) → 2° (Accessory cuneate nucleus → Cuneocerebellar tract → ICP → Anterior lobe of cerebellum)
|
|
| Reflex arc |
- lower limb → 1° (Golgi tendon organ) → 2° (Ventral/anterior spinocerebellar tract→ SCP → Cerebellar vermis)
- upper limb → 1° (Golgi tendon organ) → 2° (Rostral spinocerebellar tract → ICP → Cerebellum)
|
|
|
|
Index of the central nervous system
|
|
| Description |
- Anatomy
- meninges
- cortex
- association fibers
- commissural fibers
- lateral ventricles
- basal ganglia
- diencephalon
- mesencephalon
- fourth ventricle
- pons
- cerebellum
- medulla
- spinal cord
- Physiology
- Development
|
|
| Disease |
- Meningitis
- Demyelinating diseases
- Seizures and epilepsy
- Headache
- Stroke
- Sleep
- Congenital
- Injury
- Neoplasms and cancer
- Other
- Symptoms and signs
- head and neck
- eponymous
- lesions
|
|
| Treatment |
- Procedures
- Drugs
- general anesthetics
- analgesics
- addiction
- epilepsy
- cholinergics
- migraine
- Parkinson's
- vertigo
- other
|
Index of the peripheral nervous system
|
|
| Description |
- Anatomy
- Nerves
- cranial
- trigeminal
- cervical
- brachial
- lumbosacral plexus
- somatosensory
- spinal
- autonomic
- Physiology
- reflexes
- proteins
- neurotransmitters
- transporters
- Development
|
|
| Disease |
- Autonomic
- Congenital
- Injury
- Neoplasms and cancer
- Other
- Symptoms and signs
|
|
| Treatment |
- Procedures
- Local anesthetics
|
|
|
