Nucleus incertus

The nucleus incertus is a region of the rodent pontine brainstem just ventral to the 4th ventricle.[1] The term was coined by George Streeter (Latin for "uncertain nucleus") based on its unknown function at the time, to name a group of cells he observed near the midline of the floor of the 4th ventricle.[2]

Surface anatomy of the floor of the Fourth ventricle, with the nucleus incertus labeled
Nucleus incertus
Identifiers
NeuroLex IDnlx_144477
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The nucleus incertus is a bilateral structure which sits near the brainstem, and is often also called 'nucleus O'. It consists of mostly ascending GABAergic projection neurons and glutamatergic neurons[3] which innervate a broad range of forebrain regions involved in behavioural activation and the response to stress.[4]

This tegmental nucleus is part of the theta network. The nucleus incertus is a relay from the reticularis pontis oralis nucleus to the septo-hippocampal system.[5] The stimulation of the nucleus incertus activates the hippocampal theta rhythm and either its lesion or inhibition suppress the theta oscillation induced by brainstem stimulation.[6] The nucleus incertus itself presents theta oscillations coupled to the hippocampal theta rhythm.[7] In addition to hippocampal theta rhythms, a recent study in rodents implicates the nucleus incertus in the control of locomotor speed and arousal.[8]

References
  1. Goto M, Swanson LW, Canteras NS (September 2001). "Connections of the nucleus incertus". The Journal of Comparative Neurology. 438 (1): 86–122. doi:10.1002/cne.1303. PMID 11503154.
  2. Streeter GL (1903). "Anatomy of the floor of the fourth ventricle. (The relations between the surface markings and the underlying structures.)". American Journal of Anatomy. 2 (3): 299–313. doi:10.1002/aja.1000020303. ISSN 1553-0795.
  3. Cervera-Ferri A, Rahmani Y, Martínez-Bellver S, Teruel-Martí V, Martínez-Ricós J (May 2012). "Glutamatergic projection from the nucleus incertus to the septohippocampal system". Neuroscience Letters. 517 (2): 71–6. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2012.04.014. PMID 22521581. S2CID 32163510.
  4. Ryan PJ, Ma S, Olucha-Bordonau FE, Gundlach AL (May 2011). "Nucleus incertus--an emerging modulatory role in arousal, stress and memory". Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 35 (6): 1326–41. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.02.004. PMID 21329721. S2CID 24464719.
  5. Teruel-Martí V, Cervera-Ferri A, Nuñez A, Valverde-Navarro AA, Olucha-Bordonau FE, Ruiz-Torner A (July 2008). "Anatomical evidence for a ponto-septal pathway via the nucleus incertus in the rat". Brain Research. 1218: 87–96. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2008.04.022. PMID 18514169. S2CID 5519042.
  6. Nuñez A, Cervera-Ferri A, Olucha-Bordonau F, Ruiz-Torner A, Teruel V (May 2006). "Nucleus incertus contribution to hippocampal theta rhythm generation". The European Journal of Neuroscience. 23 (10): 2731–8. doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.04797.x. PMID 16817876.
  7. Cervera-Ferri A, Guerrero-Martínez J, Bataller-Mompeán M, Taberner-Cortes A, Martínez-Ricós J, Ruiz-Torner A, Teruel-Martí V (June 2011). "Theta synchronization between the hippocampus and the nucleus incertus in urethane-anesthetized rats". Experimental Brain Research. 211 (2): 177–92. doi:10.1007/s00221-011-2666-3. PMID 21479657. S2CID 23444954.
  8. Lu L, Ren Y, Yu T, Liu Z, Wang S, Tan L, et al. (January 2020). "Control of locomotor speed, arousal, and hippocampal theta rhythms by the nucleus incertus". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 262. Bibcode:2020NatCo..11..262L. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-14116-y. PMC 6959274. PMID 31937768.
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