Red nucleus
| Red nucleus | |
|---|---|
Transverse section through the midbrain showing the location of the red nuclei. The superior colliculi are at the top of image and the cerebral peduncles at the bottom of image – both in section. | |
| Details | |
| Part of | Midbrain |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nucleus ruber |
| MeSH | D012012 |
| NeuroNames | 505 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1478 |
| TA98 | A14.1.06.323 |
| TA2 | 5898 |
| FMA | 62407 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The red nucleus or nucleus ruber is a structure in the rostral midbrain involved in motor coordination. The red nucleus is pale pink, which is believed to be due to the presence of iron in at least two different forms: hemoglobin and ferritin. The structure is located in the midbrain tegmentum next to the substantia nigra and comprises caudal magnocellular and rostral parvocellular components. The red nucleus and substantia nigra are subcortical centers of the extrapyramidal motor system.