Define the Pons Varolli

Look at Figure Situated in front of the cerebellum below the midbrain and above the medulla oblongata, is the pons. It is involved in motor control and sensory analysis. For example, information from the ear first enters the brain in the pons. It has parts that are essential for the level of consciousness and for sleep.

Few structures within the pons are linked to the cerebellum, thus are involved in movement and posture. Pons contains mainly of nerve fibers that form a bridge between the two hemispheres of the cerebellum and fibers passing among higher levels of brain and spinal cord. There are groups of cells which act as relay stations and some of which are associated with the cranial nerves. The anatomical structure of pons varolli is different from that of cerebrum in the aspect that here the nerve cells lie deeply and nerve fibers are on the surface.