Corticobulbar tract
| Corticobulbar tract | |
|---|---|
 Corticobulbar tract. | |
 Components and location of the corticobulbar tract. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | tractus corticonuclearis, tractus corticobulbaris |
| NeuroNames | 1319 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
In
Structure
The corticobulbar tract originates in the primary
The tract descends through the
Only 50% of the corticobulbar fibers decussate, in contrast to those of the corticospinal tract where most decussate:[1] cranial nerve nuclei innervating skeletal muscle thereby generally receive bilateral first-order neuron innervation (i.e. from both hemispheres).[2]
Functions
The corticobulbar tract is composed of the upper motor neurons of the
The corticobulbar tract innervates cranial motor nuclei bilaterally with the exception of the lower facial nuclei (which innervates facial muscles below the eyes) and the genioglossus muscle, which are innervated only unilaterally by the contralateral cortex. Among those nuclei that are bilaterally innervated a slightly stronger connection contralaterally than ipsilaterally is observed. The corticobulbar tract directly innervates the nuclei for cranial nerves V, VII, IX, and XII. The corticobulbar tract also contributes to the motor regions of cranial nerve X in the nucleus ambiguus.
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 9780683300758.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7295-3752-0.