The pons /?p?nz/ is part of the brainstem that links the medulla oblongata and the thalamus. It is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of Varoli"), after the Italian anatomist and surgeon Costanzo Varolio (1543–75). It is cranial to the medulla oblongata, caudal to the midbrain, and ventral to the cerebellum. In humans and other bipeds, this means it is above the medulla, below the midbrain, and anterior to the cerebellum. This white matter includes tracts that conduct signals from the cerebrum down to the cerebellum and medulla, and tracts that carry the sensory signals up into the thalamus.The pons in humans measures about 2.5 cm or 1 inch in length. Most of it appears as a broad anterior bulge rostral to the medulla. Posteriorly, it consists mainly of two pairs of thick stalks called cerebellar peduncles. They connect the cerebellum to the pons and midbrain.The pons contains nuclei that relay signals from the forebrain to the cerebellum, along with nuclei that deal primarily with sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, facial sensation, and posture.Within the pons is the pneumotaxic center, a nucleus that regulates the change from inhalation to exhalation.The pons is implicated in sleep paralysis, and also plays a role in generating dreams.
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