| supraoptic nucleus | A sharply defined nucleus of nerve cells in the anterior hypothalamic region, immediately above the lateral part of the optic chiasm; many of its cells are neurosecretory in function, secreting vasopressin, which is carried to the neurohypophysis (posterior pituitary) by the fibers of the supraopticohypophysial tract; other cells are osmoreceptors, which respond to increased osmotic pressure to signal the release of vasopressin by the neurohypophysis [Brenda]. | — |
| suprachiasmatic nucleus | A small group of neurons situated immediately dorsal to the optic chiasma in the anterior hypothalamus [Brenda]. | — |
| paraventricular nucleus | The nucleus paraventricularis anterior thalami and nuclues paraventricularis posterior thalami, two of the nuclei mediani thalami; they are situated on the dorsomedial wall of the thalamus, juxtaposed to the third ventricle [Brenda]. | — |
| infundibular nucleus | A nucleus of nerve cells in the posterior hypothalamic region, extending into the median eminence and almost entirely surrounding the base of the infundibulum [Brenda]. | — |
| anterior nucleus | The anterior hypothalamic nucleus is a nucleus of the hypothalamus. Its function is thermoregulation (the maintenance of body temperature between certain parameters) of the body. The anterior hypothalamus plays a role in regulating sleep. The anterior hypothalamic region is sometimes grouped with the preoptic area [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior_hypothalamic_nucleus]. | anterior hypothalamic nucleus |
| dorsomedial nucleus | The dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus is a nucleus of the hypothalamus. It is involved in feeding, drinking, body-weight regulation and circadian activity [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsomedial_hypothalamic_nucleus]. | — |
| ventromedial nucleus | The ventromedial nucleus (sometimes referred to as the ventromedial hypothalamus or VMH) is a nucleus of the hypothalamus [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventromedial_nucleus]. | — |
| lateral nucleus | The lateral hypothalamus or lateral hypothalamic area is a part of the hypothalamus. It is concerned with hunger. Damage to this area can cause reduced food intake. Stimulating the lateral hypothalamus causes a desire to eat, while stimulating the ventromedial hypothalamus causes a desire to stop eating [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_hypothalamus]. | lateral hypothalamus; lateral hypothalamic area |
| posterior nucleus | The posterior nucleus of the hypothalamus is one of the many nuclei that make up the hypothalamic region of the brain. Its function is thermoregulation (heating) of the body. Damage or destruction of this nucleus causes hypothermia. Descending efferents from the nucleus synapse on the sympathetic neurons of the spinal cord, which exist in the thoracic and lumbar regions in the lateral horns [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_nucleus_of_hypothalamus]. | posterior nucleus of the hypothalamus |
| premamillary nucleus | The term premammillary nuclei refers to two groups of cells demonstrated by Nissl stain ventrally in the posterior hypothalamic region just rostral to the medial mammillary nucleus. They are the dorsal premammillary nucleus and the ventral premammillary nucleus. They are prominent in the rat (Swanson., 2004) and the mouse (Hof., 2000). Some authors report them also in the macaque (Bleier., 1984), though others indicate that they are represented only by a small group of cells in that species (Crosby., 1962; Paxinos., 2009). They are not detectable by Nissl stain in the human (Saper., 2004) [BrainInfo: http://braininfo.rprc.washington.edu/centraldirectory.aspx?ID=418]. | premammillary nuclei; premammillary nucleus; premamillary nuclei |
| tuberomamillary nucleus | The tuber cinereum is a hollow eminence of gray matter situated between the mammillary bodies and the optic chiasm. The tuber cinereum is part of the hypothalamus [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuber_cinereum]. | — |
| medial mamillary nucleus | The term medial mammillary nucleus refers to a well defined group of cells located ventromedially in the posterior hypothalamic region of the human, macaque, rat and mouse. Defined on the basis of Nissl stain it is the most prominent cell group in the volume bounded by the mammillary body. In the human (Saper., 2004) and the macaque (Paxinos., 2009) it is composed of two parts, the medial part of the medial mammillary nucleus and the lateral part of the medial mammillary nucleus. In the rat (Swanson., 2004) and the mouse (Hof., 2000) it is composed of two different parts: body of the medial mammillary nucleus and median part of the medial mammillary nucleus [BrainInfo: http://braininfo.rprc.washington.edu/centraldirectory.aspx?ID=414]. | medial mammillary nuclei; medial mammillary nucleus; medial mamillary nuclei |
| lateral mamillary nucleus | The lateral mamillary nucleus is a group of nuclei which besides the medial mamillary nucleus make up the mammaliary body (pair of small round bodies, located on the undersurface of the brain), that, as part of the diencephalon form part of the limbic system located at the ends of the anterioir arces of the fornix [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammillary_body]. | lateral mammillary nuclei; lateral mamillary nuclei; lateral mammillary nuclei; Lateral mammillary hypothalamic nucleus |
| lateral tuberal nucleus | Nerve cell nuclei situated ventrally in the intermediate hypothalamic region, mainly in the lateral hypothalamic area [Brenda]. | — |
| crus cerebri | The cerebral crus is the anterior portion of the cerebral peduncle which contains the motor tracts, the plural of which is cerebral crura [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_crus]. | — |
| colliculi | Is a small elevation either of the two pairs of rounded eminences in the midbrain concerned with visual and auditory reflexes. The seminal colliculus a prominent portion of the male urethral crest, on which are the opening of the prostatic utricle and, on either side of it, the orifices of the ejaculatory ducts; called also verumontanum [TheFreeDictionary: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/colliculus]. | colliculus |
| substantia nigra | The substantia nigra is located in the mesencephalon (mid brain) region of the brain. It is part of the basal ganglia [Brenda]. | — |
| red nucleus | The red nucleus is a structure in the rostral midbrain involved in motor coordination. It comprises a caudal magnocellular and a rostral parvocellular part [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_nucleus]. | — |
| periaqueductal grey matter | Periaqueductal gray (PAG; also called the "central gray") is the gray matter located around the cerebral aqueduct within the tegmentum of the midbrain. It plays a role in the descending modulation of pain and in defensive behaviour. The ascending pain and temperature fibers of the spinothalamic tract also send information to the PAG via the spinomesencephalic tract (so-named because the fibers originate in the spine and terminate in the PAG, in the mesencephalon or midbrain) [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periaqueductal_gray]. | — |
| oculomotor nucleus | The fibers of the oculomotor nerve arise from a nucleus in the midbrain, which lies in the gray substance of the floor of the cerebral aqueduct and extends in front of the aqueduct for a short distance into the floor of the third ventricle. From this nucleus the fibers pass forward through the tegmentum, the red nucleus, and the medial part of the substantia nigra, forming a series of curves with a lateral convexity, and emerge from the oculomotor sulcus on the medial side of the cerebral peduncle [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculomotor_nucleus]. | — |
| trochlear nucleus | The nucleus of the trochlear nerve is located in the midbrain, at the level of the inferior colliculus. It is a motor nucleus, so is located near the midline [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trochlear_nucleus]. | — |
| mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus | The mesencephalic nucleus is involved with proprioception of the face, that is, the feeling of position of the muscles. Unlike many nuclei within the CNS, the mesencephalic nucleus contains no chemical synapses but are electrically coupled. Instead, neurons of this nucleus are pseudounipolar cells receiving proprioceptive information from the mandible, and sending projections to the motor trigeminal nucleus to mediate monosynaptic jaw jerk reflexes. It is also the only structure in the CNS to contain the cell bodies of a primary afferent, which are usually contained within ganglia (like the trigeminal ganglion) [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesencephalic_nucleus_of_trigeminal_nerve]. | — |
| vestibular nuclei | The vestibular nuclei are the cranial nuclei for the vestibular nerve [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestibular_nuclei]. | — |
| cochlear nuclei | The cochlear nuclei (CN) are two heterogeneous collections of neurons in the mammalian brainstem that receive input from the cochlear nerve, which carry sound information from the cochleae. The outputs from the CN are to higher regions of the auditory brainstem [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_nuclei]. | — |
| superior olivary nucleus | The superior olivary complex (or SOC or superior olive) is a collection of brainstem nuclei that functions in multiple aspects of hearing and is an important component of the ascending and descending auditory pathways. The SOC is intimately related to the trapezoid body: most of the cell groups of the SOC are dorsal (posterior in primates) to this axon bundle while a number of cell groups are embedded in the trapezoid body. Overall, the SOC displays a significant interspecies variation, being largest in bats and rodents and smaller in primates [Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_olivary_complex]. | — |
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