Reticular formation
Information about Reticular formation
| Brain: Reticular formation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coronal section of the pons, at its upper part. (Formatio reticularis labeled at left.) | ||
| Section of the medulla oblongata at about the middle of the olive. (Formatio reticularis grisea and formatio reticularis alba labeled at left.) | ||
| Latin | formatio reticularis | |
| subject #187 784 | ||
| NeuroNames | ancil-225 | |
| MeSH | Reticular+Formation | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | f_13/12374790 | |
Location and relations
It is a poorly-differentiated area of the brain stem, centered roughly in the pons. The ascending reticular activating system connects to areas in the thalamus, hypothalamus, and cortex, while the descending reticular activating system connects to the cerebellum and sensory nerves.Functions
The reticular formation appears to not only control physical behaviors such as sleep, but also has been shown to play a major role in alertness, fatigue, and motivation to perform various activities. Some researchers have speculated that the reticular formation controls approximately 25 specific behaviors, including sleeping, walking, eating, urination, defecation, and sexual activity .The reticular formation has also been traced as one of the sources for the introversion and extroversion character traits. Introverted people have been found to have a more easily stimulated reticular formation, resulting in a diminished desire to seek out stimulus. Extroverted people, however, have a less easily stimulated reticular formation, resulting in the need for more stimulation to maintain brain activity .
Pathology
Lesions in the reticular formation have been found in the brains of people who have post-polio syndrome, and some imaging studies have shown abnormal activity in the area in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, indicating a high likelihood that damage to the reticular formation is responsible for the fatigue experienced with these syndromes.History and etymology
The term "reticular formation" was coined in the late 19th century, coinciding with Ramon y Cajal’s "neuron doctrine". Allan Hobson states in his book The Reticular Formation revisited that he thought the name was an etymological vestige from the fallen era of the aggregate field theory in the neural sciences. The term means a “netlike structure”, which is what the Reticular Formation appears to be at first glance. It has been described as being either too complex to study or an undifferentiated part of the brain with no organization at all. Eric Kandel even describes the reticular formation as being organized in a similar manner to the intermediate gray matter of the spinal cord. This chaotic, loose and intricate form of organization is what has turned off many researchers from looking farther into this mysterious area of the brain which seems to be at the crux of our basic neurological and behavioral functions. The cells lack clear ganglionic boundaries, but do have clear functional organizations and distinct cell types.The term 'reticular formation' is seldom used anymore except to speak in generalities. Modern anatomy, or neuroscience articles usually refer to the individual nuclei which comprise the reticular formation.
Structure
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Taken from "The Brainstem Reticular Formation and its Significance for Autonomic and Affective Behavior". The above diagram illustrates the reticular nuclei in the brainstem in a tiered fashion
- The original functional differentiation was a division of caudal and rostral, this was based upon the observation that the lesioning of the rostral reticular formation induced a hypersomnia in the cat brain. Conversely, lesioning of the more caudal portion of the reticular formation produced insomnia in cats. This study has led to the idea that the caudal portion inhibits the rostral portion of the reticular formation.
- Sagittal division reveals more morphological distinctions. The raphe nuclei form a ridge in the middle of the reticular formation and directly to its periphery there is a division called the medial reticular formation. The medial RF is large and has long ascending and descending fibers, and is surrounded by the lateral reticular formation. The lateral RF is close to the motor nuclei of the cranial nerves, and mostly mediates their function.
Medial and lateral reticular formation
The medial reticular formation and lateral reticular formation are two columns of neuronal nuclei with ill-defined boundaries which go up through the medulla and into the mesencephalon. The nuclei can only be teased out by function, cell type and projections of efferent or afferent nature.See also
Additional images
Deep dissection of brain-stem. Ventral view. | ) The formatio reticularis of the medulla oblongata, shown by a transverse section passing through the middle of the olive. |
Brain: reticular formation |
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The pons (sometimes pons Varolii after Costanzo Varolio) is a structure located on the brain stem. It is rostral to the medulla oblongata, caudal to the midbrain, and ventral to the cerebellum.
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The medulla oblongata is the lower portion of the brainstem.
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Location
By anatomical terms of location, it is rostral to the spinal cord and caudal to the pons, which is in turn ventral to the cerebellum...... Click the link for more information.
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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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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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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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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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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In animals, the brain or encephalon (Greek for "in the skull"), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for behavior. The brain is located in the head, protected by the skull and close to the primary sensory apparatus of vision, hearing,
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Walking is the main form of animal locomotion on land, distinguished from running and crawling. When carried out in shallow waters, it is usually described as wading and when performed over a steeply rising object or an obstacle it becomes scrambling
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Sleep is the state of natural rest observed throughout the animal kingdom, in all mammals and birds, and in many reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
In humans, other mammals, and many other animals that have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies —
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In humans, other mammals, and many other animals that have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies —
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phylogenetics (Greek: phyle = tribe, race and genetikos = relative to birth, from genesis = birth) is the study of evolutionary relatedness among various groups of organisms (e.g., species, populations).
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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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The pons (sometimes pons Varolii after Costanzo Varolio) is a structure located on the brain stem. It is rostral to the medulla oblongata, caudal to the midbrain, and ventral to the cerebellum.
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The reticular activating system is the name given to the part of the brain (the reticular formation and its connections) believed to be the center of arousal and motivation in animals (including humans).
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For the computer game developer, see Thalamus Ltd.
The thalamus (from Greek θάλαμος = bedroom, chamber, IPA= /ˈθæləməs/) is a pair and symmetric part of the brain.
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The hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland (hypophysis). The hypothalamus, (from Greek ὑποθαλαμος = under the thalamus) is located below the thalamus, just above the brain stem.
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cerebral cortex is a structure within the vertebrate brain with distinct structural and functional properties. In non-living, preserved brains, the outermost layers of the cerebrum has a grey color, hence the name "grey matter".
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The cerebellum (Latin: "little brain") is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration of sensory perception and motor output. Many neural pathways link the cerebellum with the motor cortex—which sends information to the muscles causing them
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Sensory nerves are nerves that receive sensory stimuli, such as how something feels and if it is painful.
They are made up of nerve fibers, called sensory fibers (mechanoreceptor fibers sense body movement and pressure placed against the body, and nociceptor fibers sense
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They are made up of nerve fibers, called sensory fibers (mechanoreceptor fibers sense body movement and pressure placed against the body, and nociceptor fibers sense
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Sleep is the state of natural rest observed throughout the animal kingdom, in all mammals and birds, and in many reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
In humans, other mammals, and many other animals that have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies —
..... Click the link for more information.
In humans, other mammals, and many other animals that have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies —
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Sleep is the state of natural rest observed throughout the animal kingdom, in all mammals and birds, and in many reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
In humans, other mammals, and many other animals that have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies —
..... Click the link for more information.
In humans, other mammals, and many other animals that have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies —
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Walking is the main form of animal locomotion on land, distinguished from running and crawling. When carried out in shallow waters, it is usually described as wading and when performed over a steeply rising object or an obstacle it becomes scrambling
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eating (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming nutrition, i.e. food, for the purpose of providing for the nutritional needs of an animal, particularly their energy requirements and to grow.
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Urination, known by physiologists as micturition, or more simply as voiding, is the process of disposing urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body.
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Defecation is the act or process by which organisms eliminate solid or semisolid waste material (feces) from the digestive tract via the anus. Humans expel feces anywhere from a few times daily to a few times weekly; sloths can go a week without expelling.
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- This article is about sexual practices (i.e., physical sex). Broader aspects of sexual behaviour such as social and psychological sexual issues are covered in related articles such as human sexuality, heterosexuality, and homosexuality.
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For the software company, see .
The trait of Extraversion-Introversion is a central dimension of human personality. Extraverts (sometimes called "extroverts") are gregarious, assertive, and generally seek out excitement.
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MeSH D016262 Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects survivors of poliomyelitis, a viral infection of the nervous system, after recovery from an initial paralytic attack of the virus.
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Chronic fatigue syndrome/ myalgic encephalomyelitis
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 G 93.3
ICD-9 780.71
DiseasesDB 1645
MedlinePlus 001244
eMedicine med/3392 ped/2795
MeSH D015673 Chronic fatigue syndrome (
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Classification & external resources
ICD-10 G 93.3
ICD-9 780.71
DiseasesDB 1645
MedlinePlus 001244
eMedicine med/3392 ped/2795
MeSH D015673 Chronic fatigue syndrome (
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Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Born May 1 1852
Aragon, Spain
Died September 17 1934 (aged 82)
Madrid, Spain
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Born May 1 1852
Aragon, Spain
Died September 17 1934 (aged 82)
Madrid, Spain
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neuron doctrine is the now fundamental idea that neurons are the basic structural and functional units of the nervous system. The theory was proposed by Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried von Waldeyer-Hartz with evidence given by Santiago Ramón y Cajal in the late 19th century.
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