Midbrain

„ Cerebral peduncle
„ Oculomotor nerve
„ Trochlear nerve
… From the dorsal
surface, curves
around
„ Optic tract
Midbrain Subdivisions
„ Tectum
… Superior/inferior
colliculi
„ Tegmentum
… Ascending/descending
tracts
… Nuclei
„ Basal portion
… Substantia nigra
„ Pigmented
… Cerebral peduncle
Inferior Colliculus: Afferents
„ Lateral lemniscus
… Terminate both ipsi and
contralateral
„ Contralateral inferior
colliculus
„ Ipsilateral medial
geniculate body
… Auditory feedback
pathway
„ Primary auditory
cortex
„ Cerebellum
Midbrain: Efferents
„ Medial geniculate body
… Audition
„ Contralateral inferior
colliculus
„ Superior colliculus
… Head/eye orienting
„ Nucleus of lateral
lemniscus
… Auditory feedback
„ Cerebellum
… Localize sound sources
Fibers of passage: Inf. Coll. Level
„ Superior cerebellar
peduncle
… Brachium conjunctivum
„ Medial lemniscus
„ Trigeminal lemniscus
„ Spinothalamic tract
„ Lateral lemniscus
„ Medial longitudinal
fasciculus (MLF)
„ Central tegmental tract
… Basal ganglia/midbrain to
inferior olive
„ Rubrospinal tract
 Midbrain Nuclei: Inf. Coll. Level
„ Mesencephalic
nucleus of
trigeminal nerve
… Unipolar neurons
… Proprioception of
mastication
„ Nucleus of
trochlear nerve
 Midbrain Nuclei: Inf. Coll. Level
„ Pedunculopontine and lateral
dorsal tegmental nuclei
… Cholinergic
… Walking
… Supranuclear palsy
„ Degenerative CNS disease
„ Slowing of movement
„ Reduced control of:
… Walking
… Balance
… Swallowing
… Speaking
… Eye movements
„ Eventually
wheelchair/bedridden
„ Tau proteins build up in specific
nuclei
 Midbrain Nuclei: Inf. Coll. Level
„ Locus Ceruleus
… Nucleus pigmentosus
… Pigmented neurons
„ Melanin
… Loss of these neurons in
Parkinson’s
… Projects widely throughout CNS
„ Thalamus
„ Hypothalamus
„ Basal ganglia
„ Cerebellum
„ Spinal cord
„ Sensory nuclei of brainstem
… Also plays a role in:
„ Respiration
„ REM sleep
 Cerebral Peduncle Divisions
„ Carries fibers from
cortex to subcortical
structures
„ Corticopontine
… Lateral
„ Parieto/occipito/temporo-
pontine projections
… Medial
„ Fronto-pontine projections
„ Corticospinal
… Continues to pyramids
„ Corticobulbar
… Cranial nerve nuclei
 Substantia Nigra
„ Afferents
… Neostriatum
(caudate/putamen)
„ Largest
… Cerebral cortex
„ Minor
„ Efferents
… Neostriatum
„ Sensorimotor and limbic
… Cerebral cortex
„ Limbic cortex
„ Akinesia
… Absence of movement
 Substantia Nigra
„ Regulates motor
activity
„ Parkinson’s
disease
… Tremor, rigidity,
slowness of motor
activity
Substantia Nigra
„ Pigmented: dopamine
„ Non-pigmented: cholinergic or GABAergic
 Mesencephalic Dopaminergic
System
„ Ventral tegmental
area of Tsai
„ Retrorubral cell
group
„ Mesostriatal
… Striatum
„ Mesoallocortical
… Amygdala, olfactory
tubercle
„ Mesoneocortical
… All lobes
Superior colliculus
„ Afferents
… Cerebral cortex
„ Mostly occipital (visual
cortex)
„ FEF – frontal eye fields
… Retina
… Spinal cord
„ Spinotectal
… Pain
… Inferior colliculus
„ Orienting to sound
Superior colliculus
„ Efferents
… Tectospinal
„ Neck movements
… Tectopontocerebell
ar tract
„ Orienting responses
to cerebellum
… Tectothalamic tract
„ Lateral geniculate
nucleus
„ Pulvinar
Lesions of the Superior Colliculus

„ Unilateral
… Neglect of contralateral visual field
… Heightened response to ipsilateral visual field
… Deficits in tracking moving objects
 Superior Colliculus
„ Overlapping visual and auditory receptive
fields
… Orienting responses
… Visual drives auditory
„ Localization
„ Resolution
Tegmentum: Nuclei
„ Red nucleus
Red Nucleus
„ Afferent
… Deep cerebellar
nuclei
„ Volitional tremor
… Tremor when
moving only
… Cerebral cortex
„ Motor/premotor
cortex
Red Nucleus
„ Efferent
… Spinal cord
„ Facilitates flexor motor
neurons
„ Inhibits extensor motor
neurons
„ Just like corticospinal tract
… Cerebellum
… Inferior Olive
„ Major projection in humans
„ Then projects to
cerebellum
„ Feedback circuit
Red Nucleus
„ Main function: movement
… Links cortex, cerebellum, spinal cord
„ Lesions of red nucleus
… Contralateral tremor
 Tegmentum: Nuclei
„ Oculomotor nucleus
… Afferent
„ Cerebral cortex
„ INC- Interstitial nucleus of
Cajal
… Upward gaze
„ RiMLF – rostral interstial
nucleus
… Downward gaze
„ Pretectal olivary nucleus
… Pupillary light reflex
„ Pons/Medulla
… Cranial nuclei involved in
eye movements
„ Cerebellum
… Regulate eye movements
 Lesions of Oculomotor Nerve
„ A – outside
brainstem
… Ipsilateral eye
„ B – cerebral
peduncle and
fibers
… Ipsilateral eye
… Contralateral motor
„ C – Red nucleus
and fibers
… Ipsilateral eye
… Contralateral motor
Pupillary Light Reflex
„ Ipsilateral pupil
… Direct light reflex
„ Contralateral pupil
… Consensual light
reflex
… Due to pretectal
nucleus projecting
to both oculomotor
nuclei
Optic Nerve Lesion
„ Abolishes
… Direct light reflex
… Consensual light
reflex
Oculomotor Nerve Lesion
„ Abolishes
… Direct light reflex
Marcus Gunn Pupil
„ Paradoxical pupil
dilation to light
„ Note: this is
because there is
little/no light
going to the other
eye with intact
optic nerve
Control of Saccadic Eye
Movements
Frontal Eye Fields

20º

20º

Saccades
Microstimulation

„ Inject current directly

„ Activates neurons
„ High temporal and
spatial resolution
Microstimulation of FEF
Motor Field 75µA

1º
Oculomotor Control of Spatial
Attention
„ Motor field
„ Activity, i.e. a ‘motor plan’ deploys spatial
attention to the location the eyes would
move to