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raphe nuclei
Structure:
- the raphe nuclei are a group of unpaired nuclei containing serotoninergic neurons,in & along the median plane of the mesencephalic tegmentum & rhombencephalic tegmentum.
These nuclei include:
1) nucleus centralis tegmenti superior
2) nucleus raphes dorsalis
3) nucleus raphes pontis
4) nucleus raphes magnus
5) nucleus raphes pallidus
6) nucleus raphes obscurus
Efferents:
Serotoninergic neurons within the raphe nuclei project to the:
1) hypothalamus
2) hippocampus
3) amygdala
4) septum
5) striatum
6) cingulate gyrus
7) cerebellum
8) brainstem (including substantia nigra)
9) spinal cord
Caudal raphe nuclei project largely to the medulla oblongata & spinal cord.
Function:
- caudal projections to the medulla oblongata & spinal cord appear to regulate perception of pain
- rostral raphe nuclei appear to work in conjunction with norepinephrine in regulation of arousal.
General
CNS nucleus
References
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary 26th ed, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 1995
- Lang & Lazano NEJM 339:1044-53, 1998
Component-of
mesencephalon (midbrain)
rhombencephalon or hindbrain