Midbrain: What is it? Anatomy and Functions

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Shutterstock Mid-brain

Located just below the diencephalon, the midbrain hosts several nerve nuclei, including those from which the III and IV pairs of cranial nerves originate, the substantia nigra, the red cores etc .; moreover, it guarantees the passage to various motor and sensory nerve bundles, and to the nerve bundles constituting the reticular formation.
Deriving from the so-called embryonic midbrain, the midbrain fulfills various functions: it contributes to the mechanism of vision, controls pupil dilation, controls eye movement, is involved in the process of perception of sounds, participates in muscle movement and its planning, regulation of the sleep-wake cycle, reward system, pleasure, learning and attention span.

, located at the level of the brain stem.
The midbrain is home to various groups of neurons and ensures the passage to nerve bundles with different functions.