Vestibular nuclei

Vestibular nuclei
Dissection of brainstem. Dorsal view. (Caption for "Vestibular nucleus" is visible at left.)
Details
Part of	Medulla
System	Vestibular system
Artery	AICA
Identifiers
Latin	nuclei vestibulares
NeuroNames	hier-711
NeuroLex ID	Vestibular nuclear complex
TA	A14.1.04.242 A14.1.05.425
FMA	72239
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy []

The vestibular nuclei are the cranial nuclei for the vestibular nerve.

In Terminologia Anatomica they are grouped in both the pons and the medulla in the brainstem.

The fibers of the vestibular nerve enter the medulla oblongata on the medial side of those of the cochlear, and pass between the inferior peduncle and the spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve.

They then divide into ascending and descending fibers. The latter end by arborizing around the cells of the medial nucleus, which is situated in the area acustica of the rhomboid fossa. The ascending fibers either end in the same manner or in the lateral nucleus, which is situated lateral to the area acustica and farther from the ventricular floor.

Some of the axons of the cells of the lateral nucleus, and possibly also of the medial nucleus, are continued upward through the inferior peduncle to the roof nuclei of the opposite side of the cerebellum, to which also other fibers of the vestibular root are prolonged without interruption in the nuclei of the medulla oblongata.

A second set of fibres from the medial and lateral nuclei end partly in the tegmentum, while the remainder ascend in the medial longitudinal fasciculus to arborize around the cells of the nuclei of the oculomotor nerve.

Fibres from the lateral vestibular nucleus also pass via the vestibulospinal tract, to anterior horn cells at many levels in the spinal cord, in order to co-ordinate head and trunk movements.

There are 4 subnuclei; they are situated at the floor of the fourth ventricle.

Deep dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.

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