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Inferior olivary nucleus
Brain structure in the medulla that helps coordinate movement / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The inferior olivary nucleus (ION) is a structure found in the medulla oblongata underneath the superior olivary nucleus.[1] In vertebrates, the ION is known to coordinate signals from the spinal cord to the cerebellum to regulate motor coordination and learning.[2] These connections have been shown to be tightly associated, as degeneration of either the cerebellum or the ION results in degeneration of the other.[3][4]
Inferior olivary nucleus | |
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![]() Microcircuitry of the cerebellum. Excitatory synapses are denoted by (+) and inhibitory synapses by (-). MF: Mossy fiber. DCN: Deep cerebellar nuclei. IO: Inferior olive. CF: Climbing fiber. CFC: Climbing fiber collateral. GC: Granule cell. PF: Parallel fiber. PC: Purkinje cell. GgC: Golgi cell. SC: Stellate cell. BC: Basket cell. | |
![]() Transverse section of medulla oblongata below the middle of the olive. (Inferior olivary nucleus labeled at center right.) | |
Details | |
Part of | Olivary body |
Identifiers | |
Latin | complexus olivaris inferior, nuclei olivares inferiores |
MeSH | D000095746 |
NeuroNames | 748 |
TA98 | A14.1.04.008 A14.1.04.219 |
TA2 | 5988, 6021 |
FMA | 72243 |
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy |
Neurons of the ION are glutamatergic and receive inhibitory input via GABA receptors.[1] There are two distinct GABAα receptor populations that are spatially organized within each neuron present in the ION. The GABAα receptor make-up varies based on where the receptor localizes on the ION neuron.[5] The reason for this spatial distribution is unknown. It has been proposed that the distinct populations of GABAα receptors allows for fine-tuned regulation within the ION.[5]