Oculomotor nucleus
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The oculomotor nucleus is a small somatic motor nucleus in the midbrain and one of the two nuclei for the oculomotor nerve.
Gross Anatomy
The nucleus is located in the central midbrain at the level of the superior colliculus ventral and medial periaqueductal grey matter. It lies immediately ventral to the smaller Edinger-Westphal nucleus and just cranial to the trochlear nucleus. The nucleus forms a longitudinal paramedian column of somatic motor nuclei along with the trochlear, abducens and hypoglossal nuclei.
Efferent fibres leave the nucleus ventrally joining fibres from the Edinger-Westphal nucleus and pass medially to or through the red nucleus and emerge from the medial aspect of the cerebral peduncles.
Innervation
The somatic motor fibres innervate the striated muscle fibres of the levator palpebrae superioris and severalfour of the six extraocular muscles:
-<p>The <strong>oculomotor</strong> <strong>nucleus</strong> is a small somatic motor nucleus in the <a href="/articles/midbrain">midbrain</a> and one of the two nuclei for the <a href="/articles/oculomotor-nerve">oculomotor nerve</a>.</p><h4>Gross Anatomy</h4><p>The nucleus is located in the central midbrain at the level of the <a href="/articles/corpora-quadrigemina">superior colliculus</a> ventral and medial periaqueductal grey matter. It lies immediately ventral to the smaller <a href="/articles/edinger-westphal-nucleus-1">Edinger-Westphal nucleus</a> and just cranial to the <a href="/articles/trochlear-nucleus">trochlear nucleus</a>. The nucleus forms a longitudinal paramedian column of somatic motor nuclei along with the trochlear, <a href="/articles/abducentnucleus">abducens</a> and <a href="/articles/hypoglossal-nucleus">hypoglossal nuclei</a>.</p><p>Efferent fibres leave the nucleus ventrally joining fibres from the Edinger-Westphal nucleus and pass medially to or through the <a href="/articles/red-nucleus">red nucleus</a> and emerge from the medial aspect of the <a href="/articles/cerebral-peduncles">cerebral peduncles</a>.</p><h4>Innervation</h4><p>The somatic motor fibres innervate the striated muscle fibres of the <a href="/articles/levator-palpebrae-superioris-muscle">levator palpebrae superioris</a> and several <a href="/articles/extraocular-muscles-1">extraocular muscles</a>:</p><ul>- +<p>The <strong>oculomotor</strong> <strong>nucleus</strong> is a small somatic motor nucleus in the <a href="/articles/midbrain">midbrain</a> and one of the two nuclei for the <a href="/articles/oculomotor-nerve">oculomotor nerve</a>.</p><h4>Gross Anatomy</h4><p>The nucleus is located in the central midbrain at the level of the <a href="/articles/corpora-quadrigemina">superior colliculus</a> ventral and medial periaqueductal grey matter. It lies immediately ventral to the smaller <a href="/articles/edinger-westphal-nucleus-1">Edinger-Westphal nucleus</a> and just cranial to the <a href="/articles/trochlear-nucleus">trochlear nucleus</a>. The nucleus forms a longitudinal paramedian column of somatic motor nuclei along with the trochlear, <a href="/articles/abducentnucleus">abducens</a> and <a href="/articles/hypoglossal-nucleus">hypoglossal nuclei</a>.</p><p>Efferent fibres leave the nucleus ventrally joining fibres from the Edinger-Westphal nucleus and pass through the <a href="/articles/red-nucleus">red nucleus</a> and emerge from the medial aspect of the <a href="/articles/cerebral-peduncles">cerebral peduncles</a>.</p><h4>Innervation</h4><p>The somatic motor fibres innervate the striated muscle fibres of the <a href="/articles/levator-palpebrae-superioris-muscle">levator palpebrae superioris</a> and four of the six <a href="/articles/extraocular-muscles-1">extraocular muscles</a>:</p><ul>
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