Anatomy
Traditionally the nuclei are divided into three columns
- Median column aka the Raphe nuclei.
- Medial Column aka Magnocellular nuclei.(because of larger size of the cells)
- Lateral Column aka Parvocellular nuclei.(because of smaller size of the cells.)
The original functional differentiation was a division of caudal and rostral, this was based upon the observation that the lesioning of the rostral reticular formation induces a hypersomnia in the cat brain. In contrast, lesioning of the more caudal portion of the reticular formation produces insomnia in cats. This study has led to the idea that the caudal portion inhibits the rostral portion of the reticular formation.
Sagittal division reveals more morphological distinctions. The raphe nuclei form a ridge in the middle of the reticular formation, and, directly to its periphery, there is a division called the medial reticular formation. The medial RF is large and has long ascending and descending fibers, and is surrounded by the lateral reticular formation. The lateral RF is close to the motor nuclei of the cranial nerves, and mostly mediates their function.
Read more about this topic: Reticular Formation
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