The mesencephalus is an essential part of the nervous system, this is what allows various functions of our organization to happen, it is one of the structures of the brain that communicates with the main parts of the central nervous system.
It is located in the middle of the brain, hence its name “medium brain”. Thus, it connects the brachycephalic bridge or the Varelio bridge and the cerebellum with the diencephalus. In addition, it consists of several structures related to motor and sensory functions. .
Below we will talk about the main features and functions of this small but fundamental brain support.
The midcephalus is the structure in the middle of the brain and extends from the diencephalus to the lump.
Its shape is similar to that of a trapezoid, but with a narrow base and a small channel that passes through it: the cerebral aqueduct, also called a Sylvius aqueduct or mesencephalic duct, this channel allows the passage of cerebrospinal fluid through the mesencephalus.
Externally only its anterior face is observed, to observe the other parts it is necessary to lift the temporal, western and cerebellar lobes.
The lower limit of the mesencephalus is the Varlian bridge, its upper limit is indicated by the tracking of nerve fibers of the optic nerve, also called optical bands, in the anterior part is the interpedicular pit and in the posterior the pineal gland.
The main structures of the mesencephalus are: tegment, roof and brain stems, each of which we will talk about below.
It is located in the dorsal area of the midcephalus and consists of three parts:
Etymologically, it means “ceiling or ceiling”. It forms the back of the brain aqueduct and its main structures are:
There are two white nerve cords separated from each other by the interpediccular pit, located in the upper part of the brain trunk, above the annular lump, and disappear in the hemispheres.
Its main function is to communicate the mesencephalus with the brain, in addition, brain stems are made up of nerve fibers that include:
Now they are not similar to the stems of the cerebellum, among them is the interpediccular hole, region that acts to separate these structures, in addition, the dorsal and ventral surface of each stem is separated by the black substance.
When something fails in the mesencephalus can occur several pathologies, this is a fundamental area for the processes of our organization, let’s look at some of the consequences of its malfunction:
The brain is the link that involves various parts of the brain through its connections, by the amount and complexity of the inputs and outputs it has, any stroke can affect the mesencephaly, since it is an axis where the fundamental unions of our body converge.