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| Brain: Cuneate nucleus | ||
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| Dissection of brain-stem. Dorsal view. (Label for "nucleus cuneatus" is on left, third from the bottom.) | ||
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| Section of the medulla oblongata at about the middle of the olive. | ||
| Latin | nucleus cuneatus | |
| Gray's | subject #187 774 | |
| NeuroNames | hier-764 | |
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.
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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
Additional images
 Decussation of pyramids. |
 Dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view. |
 Deep dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view. |
 Superior terminations of the posterior fasciculi of the medulla spinalis. |
 Diagram showing the course of the arcuate fibers. |
 The formatio reticularis of the medulla oblongata, shown by a transverse section passing through the middle of the olive. |
 Scheme showing the course of the fibers of the lemniscus; medial lemniscus in blue, lateral in red. |
 Transverse section passing through the sensory decussation. |
 Deep dissection of cortex and brain-stem. |
 The sensory tract. |
External links
