Cerebral peduncles: functions, structure and anatomy
These bundles of neural fibers traverse the brain passing information from one end to the other.
The human brain is such a complex organ that in order to function properly it must involve a large number of parts and structures in its anatomy. Several of these parts of the brain are large and easy to distinguish with the naked eye, such as the frontal lobes, but others are very small and are located below these surface folds.
This is the case of the cerebral peduncles, small regions of the brain that are located below the surface folds.These are small regions of the brain that, despite their size, are very important. Below you will learn more about these anatomical structures.
What are the cerebral peduncles?
The human brain is composed, roughly speaking, of two main types of "material": gray matter and white matter. The former contains the highest concentration of neuronal somas (i.e., neuronal "bodies", the area in which the nucleus of these cells is located), while the white matter areas are dominated by other anatomical areas of the neuron: the axons, narrow, elongated elements that when grouped in bundles form nerve fibers.
The cerebral peduncles are two small, cylindrical, cylindrical-colored cylindrical-shaped, white-colored structures composed of white matter. composed of white matter. They arise from the brainstem, specifically above the pons, and reach the cerebral cortex projecting vertically.
Between the brain peduncles is the interpeduncular fossa, a space that acts as a physical separation between these two structures as if it were a kind of tunnel. In addition, the ventral and dorsal sides of each peduncle are separated from each other. between them by a sheet of something that is not white matter, but something known as substantia nigra.
They are not the same as the cerebellar peduncles.
It is easy to believe that the cerebral peduncles are the same as the cerebellar peduncles, but this is not the case. These second structures have a similar functionThey also function as important nerve pathways that collect information from various regions. However, both their location and the type of information that these neural signal pathways integrate are different.
Functions of the cerebral peduncles
The cerebral peduncles are essentially "self-sampling" nerve impulses that travel through the brain. As they are made of white matter, this information passes through them quickly, since the myelin covering the axons (which gives these structures their white hue) causes these electrical signals to travel at high speed.
The main function of the cerebral peduncles, therefore, is to communicate communicating two areas of the brainthe midbrain (located in the upper part of the brainstem) and the cerebral cortex. In fact, these nerve fiber ducts reach as far as the division created between the two cerebral hemispheres.
In fact, the peduncles contain several pathways. One of them is the corticospinal, which, as its name suggests, communicates the cortex with the spinal cord, and the other is the corticospinal tract, which, as its name suggests, communicates the cortex with the spinal cord. the other is the corticopontine tract, which links the cortex with the spinal cord.which connects the cortex with the pons.
As the brainstem is in charge of executing automatic and stereotypical actions useful or necessary for our survival, the role of the cerebral peduncles also has to do with this task.
Thus, the main functions of these bundles of nerve fibers are regulation of motor impulses and the transmission of reflexes, two very useful mechanisms to keep us alive, as they allow us to react quickly to significant events (especially if they are dangerous or harmful).
Specifically, the peduncles play an important role in the reflex movements of the eyes. reflex movements of the eyesThe peduncles play an important role in the reflex movements of the eyes, which are necessary for them to function properly, and in the coordination of these actions with other movements of the head and neck.
Specifically, these structures are involved in the reflex control of reflex movements. Normally this occurs when commands from the motor cortex reach the cerebral peduncles, and from these go to various nuclei of a structure known as the thalamus, located deep in the brain, in an area known as the diencephalon.
Parts of this pair of structures
The cerebral peduncles receive connections from the cerebellum, the cerebral cortex and the lower areas of the brainstem and spinal cord.
On the other hand, the cerebral peduncles are composed of several parts or tracts.. One of them is the midbrain tegmentum, which is succeeded by the cerebral crus, and the other region is called the pretectum. The tectum extends beyond the brainstem, reaching the cortex of the brain.
The complexity of the different components of the peduncles has to do with the fact that they are located in an area of the central nervous system where all kinds of specialized control and coordination functions are carried out, created by millions of years of evolution and natural selection. In a small space, the brainstem has miniscule areas of the brain stem responsible for such vital actions as the regulation of the heartbeat or the control of body temperature.
(Updated at Apr 12 / 2024)