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, 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.