Geniculate fibers
Encyclopedia
The geniculate fibers are the fibers in the region of the genu of the internal capsule; they originate in the motor part of the cerebral cortex
, and, after passing downward through the base of the cerebral peduncle
with the cerebrospinal fibers
, undergo decussation
and end in the motor nuclei of the cranial nerves
of the opposite side.
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
, and, after passing downward through the base of the cerebral peduncle
Cerebral peduncle
Mainly, the three common areas that give rise to the cerebral peduncles are the cortex, the spinal cord and the cerebellum. The cerebral peduncle, by most classifications, is everything in the mesencephalon except the tectum. The region includes the midbrain tegmentum, crus cerebri and pretectum...
with the cerebrospinal fibers
Cerebrospinal fibers
The cerebrospinal fibers, derived from the cells of the motor area of the cerebral cortex, occupy the middle three-fifths of the base; they are continued partly to the nuclei of the motor cranial nerves, but mainly into the pyramids of the medulla oblongata....
, undergo decussation
Decussation
Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing.Examples include:* In the brain, where nerve fibers obliquely cross from one lateral part to the other, that is to say they cross at a level other than their origin...
and end in the motor nuclei of the cranial nerves
Cranial nerves
Cranial nerves are nerves that emerge directly from the brain, in contrast to spinal nerves, which emerge from segments of the spinal cord. In humans, there are traditionally twelve pairs of cranial nerves...
of the opposite side.