C/S at the level of Pons

The pons, a part of the brainstem, acts as a relay station for nerve signals and controls vital functions including breathing, sleep cycles, and sensory information from the face. It connects the cerebrum and cerebellum, relays motor and sensory information, and plays a role in hearing, taste, balance, and eye movements. A coronal section through the pons reveals its internal structures, such as the ventral pons containing the corticospinal tracts and pontine nuclei and the dorsal pons (tegmentum) with the reticular formation. Externally, it is bordered by the cerebellum posteriorly, superiorly by the midbrain and inferiorly by the medulla oblongata, with the fourth ventricle located dorsally. In this section, you can see some of the structures of the midbrain such as the red nucleus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus and the crus cerebri.