Pons

The following statements concern a transverse section through the cephalic part of the pons

• The motor nucleus of the trigeminal nerve lies lateral to the main sensory nucleus in the tegmentum.

• •The medial lemniscus has rotated so that its long axis lies vertically.

• •Bundles of corticospinal fibers lie among the transverse pontine fibers.

• •The medial  longitudinal fasciculus joins the thalamus to the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve

• The motor root of the trigeminal nerve is much larger than the sensory root.

The following statements concern the pons

• •It is related superiorly to the dorsum sellae of the sphenoid bone.

• •It lies in the middle cranial fossa.

• •Glial tumors of the pons are rare.

• •The corticopontine fibers terminate in the pontine nuclei.

• •The pons receives its blood supply from the internal carotid artery.

The following statements concern the pons

• •Trigeminal nerve emerges on lateral aspect of the pons.

• •Glossopharyngeal nerve emerges on anterior aspect of brainstem in the groove between the pons and medulla oblongata.

• •Basilar artery lies in a centrally placed groove on the anterior aspect of the pons.

• •Many nerve fibers present on the posterior aspect of the pons converge laterally to form the middle cerebellar peduncle

• •The pons forms the lower half of the floor of the forth ventricle

The following statements concern the posterior surface of the pons

• •Lateral to median sulcus is an elongated swelling called the lateral eminence.

• •The facial colliculus is produced by the root of the facial nerve winding around the nucleus of the abducent nerve.

• •The floor of the inferior part of the sulcus limitans is pigmented and is called substantia ferruginea.

• The vestibular area lies medial to the sulcus limitans.

• •The cerebellum lies anterior to the pons.

The following statements concern a transverse section through the caudal part of the pons

• The pontine nuclei lie between the transverse pontine fibers.

• •The vestibular nuclei lie medial to the abducens nucleus.

• The trapezoid body comprises fibers derived from the facial nerve nuclei.

• •The tegmentum is the part of the pons lying anterior to the trapezoid body.

• •The medial longitudinal fasciculus lies above the floor the fourth ventricle on either side of the midline.