HWN Suggests

The Reptilian Brain: The Brain Stem (and Cerebellum)

When you understand the function of these parts, the fact that they’re ancient makes sense—everything these parts do, frogs and lizards can do. The pons’s thing is that it does a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It deals with swallowing, bladder control, facial expressions, saliva, tears, and posture—really just whatever it’s in the mood for.

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Articles of Interest

Midbrain, Pons, and Medulla: Anatomy and Syndromes

Brainstem syndromes are usually due to vascular occlusion of branches of the posterior circulation or mass effect secondary to space-occupying lesions. Knowledge of the complex function and anatomy of this region is key to understanding the wide spectrum of disease.

Pontine Stroke: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

A pontine stroke can be life-threatening and may result in paralysis and the rare syndrome known as Locked-In Syndrome (LiS).

What Is The Main Function Of The Pons In Your Brain?

The pons is a small but vital brain structure that houses bunches of nerve fibers. These fibers connect both the cerebrum and the cerebellum as well as the right and left hemispheres of the brain. They make it possible for these structures to send messages — including sensory and motor information — back and forth. Without the pons, it would be impossible to move or communicate. People with locked in syndrome may have experienced an injury to this vital structure.

Brain Stem Pons Stroke

Gloria Morgan just given birth to her third child when a brain stem pons stroke threatened to turn what was supposed to be a happy time into a tragedy.

Central Pontine Myelinolysis

CAUSES... Most important: Rapid correction of hyponatremia (typically chronic).

Space occupying lesion presenting as Millard-Gubler syndrome

Millard-Gubler syndrome (MGS) is a ventral pontine syndrome due to an ipsilateral involvement of abducens and facial nerve with a contralateral hemiparesis or hemiplegia. Although classically described as a vascular brainstem syndrome, various other aetiologies such as infection or demyelination may lead to MGS.

The hindbrain

The pons gets its name from the Latin word for ‘bridge’, and it connects the rest of the brainstem to the cerebral cortex. Bulbous in shape, it sits right underneath the midbrain and serves as a coordination centre for signals and communications that flow between the two brain hemispheres and the spinal cord. Four cranial nerves are found in the pons: the abducens nerve helps coordinate eye movement; the facial nerve coordinates movement and sensation in the face; the vestibulocochlear nerve processes sounds and helps us maintain balance; and the trigeminal nerve coordinates chewing and carries sensory information from the face and the head.

Time for Radical Changes in Brain Stem Nomenclature—Applying the Lessons From Developmental Gene Patterns

Studies of developmental gene expression show that the current use of the term “pons” is in most cases very misleading (Puelles et al., 2013; Watson et al., 2017a). In addition, gross misinterpretations of brain stem organization have led to the mistaken inclusion of diencephalic structures in the midbrain, and the failure to recognize the isthmus as the first segment of the hindbrain.

Resources

Cleveland Clinic

Your pons is a key merging point for several of your cranial nerves, which are nerves with direct connections to your brain. Those nerve connections are vital, helping with several of the senses on or in your head, plus your ability to move various parts of your face and mouth.

StatPearls

Pons is a potential anatomical site for tumor, infarction, and demyelinating disorders and is commonly manifested in cranial nerves and tract dysfunction. A stroke affecting the pons results from a large-vessel stroke or small-vessel disease within the posterior circulation, composed of the paired vertebral arteries, basilar artery, and paired posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs).

TeachMe Anatomy

The pons is the largest part of the brainstem, located above the medulla and below the midbrain. It is a group of nerves that function as a connection between the cerebrum and cerebellum (pons is Latin for bridge).