Pontocerebellar fibers

Pontocerebellar fibers
Scheme showing the connections of the several parts of the brain.
Details
Identifiers
Latin	fibrae pontocerebellares
NeuroNames	1345
TA98	A14.1.05.110
TA2	5849
FMA	75215
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The pontocerebellar fibers are the second order neuron fibers of the corticopontocerebellar tracts that cross to the other side of the pons and run within the middle cerebellar peduncles, from the pons to the contralateral cerebellum.

The term "corticopontocerebellar"^[1] is the entire pathway from the cerebral cortex to the contralateral cerebellum.^[2]

References

^ Kamali A, Kramer LA, Frye RE, Butler IJ, Hasan KM (2010). "Diffusion tensor tractography of the human brain cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathways: a quantitative preliminary study". J Magn Reson Imaging. 32 (4): 809–17. doi:10.1002/jmri.22330. PMC 4492525. PMID 20882611.
^ Kitamura K, Nakayama K, Kosaka S, et al. (April 2008). "Diffusion tensor imaging of the cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathway in patients with adult-onset ataxic neurodegenerative disease". Neuroradiology. 50 (4): 285–92. doi:10.1007/s00234-007-0351-9. PMID 18172629. S2CID 2213132.

External links

https://web.archive.org/web/20130330093937/http://www.neuroanatomy.wisc.edu/virtualbrain/BrainStem/16Pontine.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20080221222726/http://isc.temple.edu/neuroanatomy/lab/atlas/pmjdc/
http://www.sylvius.com/index/p/pontocerebellar_fibers.html

Anatomy of the cerebellum

Surface

Lobes	Anterior lobe Posterior lobe Horizontal fissure Flocculonodular lobe Flocculus Nodule Primary fissure
Medial/lateral	Vermis: anterior Central lobule Culmen Lingula posterior Folium Tuber Uvula Vallecula of cerebellum Hemisphere: anterior Alar central lobule posterior Biventer lobule Cerebellar tonsil

Grey matter

Deep cerebellar nuclei	Dentate interposed Emboliform Globose Fastigial
Cerebellar cortex	Molecular layer Stellate cell Basket cell Purkinje cell layer Purkinje cell Bergmann glia cell = Golgi epithelial cell Fañanas cell Granule cell layer Golgi cell Granule cell Unipolar brush cell Fibers: Mossy fibers Climbing fiber Parallel fiber

White matter

Internal	Arbor vitae
Peduncles	Inferior (medulla): Dorsal spinocerebellar tract Olivocerebellar tract Cuneocerebellar tract Juxtarestiform body (Vestibulocerebellar tract) Trigeminocerebellar fibers Middle (pons): Pontocerebellar fibers Superior (midbrain): Ventral spinocerebellar tract Dentatothalamic tract

Anatomy of the pons

Dorsal/
(tegmentum)

Surface

White: Sensory

White: Motor

Grey: Cranial nuclei

afferent:	GSA Trigeminal Principal Spinal Cochlear nucleus Dorsal Anterior Vestibular nuclei Superior
efferent:	SVE: Trigeminal motor nucleus Facial motor nucleus GSE: Abducens nucleus GVE: Superior salivary nucleus Inferior salivary nucleus

Grey: Other nuclei

Ventral/
(base)

Grey	Pontine nuclei
White: Motor/descending	Corticospinal tract Corticobulbar tract Corticopontine fibers MCP Pontocerebellar fibers
Surface	Basilar sulcus

Other grey: Raphe/
reticular

Brain and spinal cord: neural tracts and fasciculi

Sensory

DCML

1°:	Pacinian corpuscle/Meissner's corpuscle → Posterior column (Gracile fasciculus/Cuneate fasciculus) → Gracile nucleus/Cuneate nucleus
2°:	→ sensory decussation/arcuate fibers (Posterior external arcuate fibers, Internal arcuate fibers) → Medial lemniscus/Trigeminal lemniscus → Thalamus (VPL, VPM)
3°:	→ Posterior limb of internal capsule → Postcentral gyrus

Anterolateral/
pain

Fast/lateral	1° (Free nerve ending → A delta fiber) → 2° (Anterior white commissure → Lateral and Anterior Spinothalamic tract → Spinal lemniscus → VPL of Thalamus) → 3° (Postcentral gyrus) → 4° (Posterior parietal cortex) 2° (Spinomesencephalic tract → Superior colliculus of Midbrain tectum)
Slow/medial	1° (Group C nerve fiber → Spinoreticular tract → Reticular formation) → 2° (MD of Thalamus) → 3° (Cingulate cortex)

Motor

Pyramidal

flexion: Primary motor cortex → Posterior limb of internal capsule → Decussation of pyramids → Corticospinal tract (Lateral, Anterior) → Neuromuscular junction

Extrapyramidal

flexion:	Primary motor cortex → Genu of internal capsule → Corticobulbar tract → Facial motor nucleus → Facial muscles
flexion:	Red nucleus → Rubrospinal tract
extension:	Vestibulocerebellum → Vestibular nuclei → Vestibulospinal tract
extension:	Vestibulocerebellum → Reticular formation → Reticulospinal tract
Midbrain tectum → Tectospinal tract → muscles of neck

Basal ganglia

direct:	1° (Motor cortex → Striatum) → 2° (GPi) → 3° (Lenticular fasciculus/Ansa lenticularis → Thalamic fasciculus → VL of Thalamus) → 4° (Thalamocortical radiations → Supplementary motor area) → 5° (Motor cortex)
indirect:	1° (Motor cortex → Striatum) → 2° (GPe) → 3° (Subthalamic fasciculus → Subthalamic nucleus) → 4° (Subthalamic fasciculus → GPi) → 5° (Lenticular fasciculus/Ansa lenticularis → Thalamic fasciculus → VL of Thalamus) → 6° (Thalamocortical radiations → Supplementary motor area) → 7° (Motor cortex)
nigrostriatal pathway:	Pars compacta → Striatum

Cerebellar

Afferent

Vestibular nuclei → Vestibulocerebellar tract → ICP → Cerebellum → Granule cell

Pontine nuclei → Pontocerebellar fibers → MCP → Deep cerebellar nuclei → Granule cell

Inferior olivary nucleus → Olivocerebellar tract → ICP → Hemisphere → Purkinje cell → Deep cerebellar nuclei

Efferent

Dentate nucleus in Lateral hemisphere/pontocerebellum → SCP → Dentatothalamic tract → Thalamus (VL) → Motor cortex

Interposed nucleus in Intermediate hemisphere/spinocerebellum → SCP → Reticular formation, or → Cerebellothalamic tract → Red nucleus → Thalamus (VL) → Motor cortex

Fastigial nucleus in Flocculonodular lobe/vestibulocerebellum → Vestibulocerebellar tract → Vestibular nuclei

Bidirectional:
Spinocerebellar

Unconscious proprioception	lower limb → 1° (muscle spindles → DRG) → 2° (Posterior thoracic nucleus → Dorsal/posterior spinocerebellar tract → ICP → Cerebellar vermis) upper limb → 1° (muscle spindles → DRG) → 2° (Accessory cuneate nucleus → Cuneocerebellar tract → ICP → Anterior lobe of cerebellum)
Reflex arc	lower limb → 1° (Golgi tendon organ) → 2° (Ventral/anterior spinocerebellar tract→ SCP → Cerebellar vermis) upper limb → 1° (Golgi tendon organ) → 2° (Rostral spinocerebellar tract → ICP → Cerebellum)