Where is the cerebral peduncle in the brain

Here on the outside of the cerebral peduncle are the medial geniculate body, and the lateral geniculate body, which gives rise to the optic tract. Between the cerebral peduncles the third cranial nerve, the oculomotor, emerges. We'll return to the intact brain.

Here are the two oculomotor nerves. Here are the two optic tracts. They meet at the optic chiasm. From the optic chiasm the two optic nerves emerge. They're the second cranial nerves. Here's the brain in situ with the right cerebral hemisphere removed. Here's the corpus callosum, which joins the two cerebral hemispheres, here's the divided cerebral peduncle, here's the midbrain. Here's the floor of the middle cranial fossa. Here's the optic nerve, running forwards beneath the dura toward the optic canal.

Here's the oculomotor nerve, here's the trochlear nerve. The ventral aspect of the brain passes upwards to here, then turns a corner and continues forwards into a complicated area that we'll look at later in this section.

Cerebral peduncle a large bundle of neurons that resembles a large stalk the Latin pedunculus means "footstalk" and stretches from the cerebrum to the pons.

View fullsize. Back to Glossary. Receive New Content by Email. The region includes the midbrain tegmentum , crus cerebri , substantia nigra and pretectum. The peduncles are also known as the crus cerebri. There are numerous nerve tracts located within this section of the brainstem. Of note, in the cerebral peduncular loop fibers from motor areas of the brain project to the cerebral peduncle and then project to various thalamic nuclei. Inasmuch as the peduncles are an anatomic landmark, for details regarding the function of this area interested readers are referred to the individual referenced articles.