Edinger-Westphal nucleus

Information about Edinger-Westphal nucleus

Brain: Edinger-Westphal nucleus
Section through superior colliculus (unlabeled) showing path of oculomotor nerve. ("Edinger-Westphal nucleus" is not on diagram, but would be near oculomotor nuclei.)
Figure showing the different groups of cells, which constitute, according to Perlia, the nucleus of origin of the oculomotor nerve.
1. Posterior dorsal nucleus.
1’. Posterior ventral nucleus.
2. Anterior dorsal nucleus.
2’. Anterior ventral nucleus.
3. Central nucleus.
4. Nucleus of Edinger and Westphal.
5. Antero-internal nucleus.
6. Antero-external nucleus.
8. Crossed fibers.
9. Trochlear nerve, with 9’, its nucleus of origin, and 9", its decussation.
10. Third ventricle.
M, M. Median line.
Latinnuclei accessorii nervi oculomotorii
NeuroNameshier-489
Dorlands/Elsevier n_11/12580082
The Edinger-Westphal nucleus (also known as the accessory oculomotor nucleus ) is the accessory parasympathetic cranial nerve nucleus of the oculomotor nerve (cranial nerve III), supplying the constricting muscles of the iris.

Location

The paired nuclei are posterior to the main motor nucleus (oculomotor nucleus) and anterolateral to the cerebral aqueduct in the rostral midbrain at the level of the superior colliculus.

It is the most rostral of the parasympathetic nuclei in the brain stem.

Function

The Edinger-Westphal nucleus supplies preganglionic parasympathetic fibers to the eye, constricting the pupil and accommodating the lens.

Eponym

The nucleus is named for both Ludwig Edinger, who demonstrated it in the fetus in 1885, and for Karl Friedrich Otto Westphal, who demonstrated it in the adult in 1887.[1]

See also

Additional images


The cranial nerve nuclei schematically represented; dorsal view. Motor nuclei in red; sensory in blue.

Nuclei of origin of cranial motor nerves schematically represented; lateral view.

Primary terminal nuclei of the afferent (sensory) cranial nerves schematically represented; lateral view.


References

External links

 •  • [ e]
Brain: mesencephalon (midbrain)
TectumCorpora quadrigemina (Inferior colliculi, Superior colliculi) • Subcommissural organ • Pretectum
Peduncle tegmentumPeriaqueductal gray (Cerebral aqueduct, Dorsal raphe nucleus) • Ventral tegmentum • Pedunculopontine nucleus • Red nucleus • MLF (riMLF)  • lemnisci (Medial, Lateral) • cranial nuclei (III: Oculomotor nucleus, III: Edinger-Westphal nucleus, IV: Trochlear nucleus, V: Mesencephalic)
Peduncle baseSubstantia nigra • Cerebral crus (Corticospinal tract, Corticobulbar tract, Corticopontine tract/Frontopontine fibers/Temporopontine fibers)
The oculomotor nerve is the third of twelve paired cranial nerves. It controls most of the eye movements (cranial nerves IV and VI also do some), constriction of the pupil, and holding the eyelid open.
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The trochlear nerve (the fourth cranial nerve, also called the fourth nerve or simply IV) is a motor nerve (a “somatic efferent” nerve) that innervates a single muscle: the superior oblique muscle of the eye.
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Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing.[1][2]

Examples include:
  • In the brain
  • Decussation of the pyramids

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The third ventricle (ventriculus tertius) is one of four connected fluid-filled cavities comprising the ventricular system within the human brain. It is a median cleft between the two thalami, and is filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
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Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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NeuroNames is a system of nomenclature for the human and/or macaque brain.

It is maintained by the University of Washington and is a part of a tool called "BrainInfo". BrainInfo helps one identify structures in the brain.
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS -a subdivision of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)- is subdivided into the sympathetic (SNS), parasympathetic (PSNS) and enteric (bowels) nervous system (ENS).
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A cranial nerve nucleus is a collection of neurons (gray matter) in the brain stem that is associated with one or more cranial nerves. Axons carrying information to and from the cranial nerves form a synapse first at these nuclei.
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The oculomotor nerve is the third of twelve paired cranial nerves. It controls most of the eye movements (cranial nerves IV and VI also do some), constriction of the pupil, and holding the eyelid open.
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Cranial nerves are nerves that emerge directly from the brain in contrast to spinal nerves which emerge from segments of the spinal cord. Although thirteen cranial nerves in humans fit this description, twelve are conventionally recognized.
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MUSCLE (multiple sequence comparison by log-expectation) is public domain, multiple sequence alignment software for protein and nucleotide sequences.
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In anatomy, the iris (plural irises or irides) is the most visible part of the eye of vertebrates, including humans. The following describes the iris of vertebrates, not the independently evolved iris found in some cephalopods.
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The fibers of the oculomotor nerve arise from a nucleus in the midbrain, which lies in the gray substance of the floor of the cerebral aqueduct and extends in front of the aqueduct for a short distance into the floor of the third ventricle.
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The mesencephalic duct, also known as the aqueduct of Sylvius or the cerebral aqueduct, contains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), is within the mesencephalon (or midbrain) and connects the third ventricle in the diencephalon to the fourth ventricle, which is between the
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Rostral can refer to:
  • Anatomical location or direction, front, as opposed to caudal (rear).
  • Rostral bone.
  • Rostral scale in scaled reptiles.

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The superior colliculus (Latin, higher hill) is a paired structure that is part of the brain's tectal area.

Structure and relations

The two superior colliculi sit below the thalamus and surround the pineal gland in the mesencephalon of vertebrate brains.
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Rostral can refer to:
  • Anatomical location or direction, front, as opposed to caudal (rear).
  • Rostral bone.
  • Rostral scale in scaled reptiles.

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The brain stem is the lower part of the brain, adjoining and structurally continuous with the spinal cord. Most sources consider the pons, medulla oblongata, and midbrain all to be part of the brainstem.
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preganglionic fibers.

All preganglionic fibers, whether they are in the sympathetic division or in the parasympathetic division, are cholinergic (that is, these fibers uses acetylcholine as their neurotransmitter).
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Eyes are organs of vision that detect light. Different kinds of light-sensitive organs are found in a variety of organisms. The simplest eyes do nothing but detect whether the surroundings are light or dark, while more complex eyes can distinguish shapes and colors.
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Snakes

Constriction is a method used by various snake species to kill their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly-venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom.
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The pupil (Latin pupilla "little doll" > pupa "doll") is the variable-sized, black circular or slit shaped opening in the center of the iris that regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.
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The accommodation reflex is a reflex action of the eye, in response to focusing on a near object, then looking at distant object (and vice versa), comprising coordinated changes in vergence, lens shape and pupil size.
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The lens is a transparent, biconvex (lentil-shaped) structure in the eye that, along with the cornea, helps to refract light to be focused on the retina. Its function is thus similar to a human-made optical lens.
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This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.
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This article has been tagged since June 2007.
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fetus (or foetus, or fœtus) is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate, after the embryonic stage and before birth. The plural is fetuses (foetuses, fœtuses) or, very rarely, foeti.
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Carl Friedrich Otto Westphal (born March 23, 1833; died January 27, 1890) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist from Berlin. He was the son of Otto Carl Friedrich Westphal (1800-1879) and Karoline Friederike Heine and the father of Alexander Carl Otto Westphal.
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neutrality is disputed.
* It may contain original research or unverifiable claims.

Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page. The term adult has three distinct meanings:
  • Grown man or woman; mature person.

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The general visceral efferent fibers (GVE or sympathetic efferent fibers), probably arise from cells in the lateral column or the base of the anterior column and emerge through the anterior roots and white rami communicantes.
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