Cuneate nucleus

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

One of the dorsal column nuclei, the cuneate nucleus is a wedge-shaped nucleus in the closed part of the medulla oblongata. It contains cells that give rise to the cuneate tubercle, visible on the posterior aspect of the medulla. It lies laterally to the gracile nucleus and medial to the spinal trigeminal nucleus in the medulla.

Function

The cuneate nucleus is part of dorsal column-medial lemniscus system, carrying fine touch and proprioceptive information from the upper body (above T6, excepting the face and ear - the information from the face and ear is carried by the primary sensory trigeminal nucleus) to the thalamus and cerebellum via the medial lemniscus.

Pathology

It may be affected by vitamin E deficiency exhibiting neuroaxonal swelling.

See also

• Fasciculus cuneatus

Additional images

External links

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday January 17, 2008 at 03:17:44 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation