A Practical Guide to Hemiplegia Treatment
White matter is responsible for communication between cerebral areas and
between the cerebral cortex and lower regions of the CNS, as well as the
basal nuclei (or basal ganglia), involved in controlling muscular movement.
Diencephalon
The diencephalon is located centrally within the forebrain. It consists of the
thalamus, hypothalamus and epithalamus, which together enclose the third
ventricle.
The functions of the thalamus are:
It acts as a grouping and relay station for sensory inputs ascending to the
sensory cortex and association areas.
It also mediates motor activities, cortical arousal and memories.
The functions of the hypothalamus are:
By controlling the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system, it is responsible
for maintaining the body’s homeostatic balance. Moreover, it forms a part
of the limbic system, the ‘emotional’ brain.
The epithalamus consists of the pineal gland and the CSF producing choroid
plexus. Function of the pineal gland is not very well understood.
Brainstem
The brainstem is similarly structured as the spinal cord: it consists of gray
matter surrounded by white matter fiber tracts. Its major regions are the midbrain,
pons and medulla oblongata.
The midbrain, which surrounds the cerebral aqueduct, provides fiber pathways
between higher and lower brain centers, contains visual and auditory reflex
and subcortical motor centers.
The pons is mainly a conduction region, but its nuclei also contribute to
the regulation of respiration and cranial nerves.
The medulla oblongata takes an important role as an autonomic reflex center
involved in maintaining body homeostasis. In particular, nuclei in the medulla
regulate respiratory rhythm, heart rate, blood pressure and several cranial
nerves. Moreover, it provides conduction pathways between the inferior
spinal cord and higher brain centers.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum, which is located dorsal to the pons and medulla, accounts
for about 11% of total brain mass. Like the cerebrum, it has a thin outer
cortex of gray matter, internal white matter and small, deeply situated, paired
