Nucleus raphe magnus
| Nucleus raphe magnus | |
|---|---|
Section of the medulla oblongata at about the middle of the olive. (Raphe nuclei not labeled, but 'raphe' labeled at left.) | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nucleus raphes magnus |
| MeSH | D065846 |
| NeuroNames | 739 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1363 |
| TA98 | A14.1.04.321 |
| TA2 | 6038 |
| FMA | 72584 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) is one of the seven raphe nuclei. It is situated in the pons in the brainstem,: 306 just rostral to the nucleus raphe obscurus.
The NRM receives afferent stimuli from the enkephalinergic neurons of the periaqueductal gray; the serotonergic neurons of the NRM then bilaterally project efferents to the enkephalinergic and dynorphin-containing interneurons of the substantia gelatinosa of the posterior grey column of the spinal cord. This neural path thus mediates pain perception through pre-synaptic inhibition of first-order afferent (sensory) neurons.: 225