dictionary help| non-specific system --> reticular activating system | medical dictionary |
<physiology> A physiological term denoting that part of the brainstem reticular formation that plays a central role in the organism's bodily and behavorial alertness.
It extends as a diffusely organised neural apparatus through the central region of the brainstem into the subthalamus and the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus; by its ascending connections it affects the function of the cerebral cortex in the sense of behavioural responsiveness; its descending (reticulospinal) connections transmit its activating influence upon bodily posture and reflex mechanisms (e.g., muscle tonus), in part by way of the gamma motor neurones.
See: reticular formation.
Synonyms: non-specific system.
(05 Mar 2000)
reticle eyepiece, reticul-, reticula, reticular < Prev | Next > reticular cartilage, reticular cell
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