Location and Structure
- Located within the medulla
- Motor nucleus close to the midline
- Visible as the hypoglossal trigone in the open medulla
- Positioned between the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and the medulla midline
Function and Axons
- Axons from the hypoglossal nucleus form the hypoglossal nerve
Related Structures
- Hypoglossal nerve
Additional Images
- Transverse section of medulla oblongata below the middle of the olive
- Schematic representation of nuclei of origin of cranial motor nerves (lateral view)
- Micrograph showing the hypoglossal nuclei in relation to surrounding structures
- Micrograph showing the hypoglossal nucleus (H&E-LFB stain)
Categories
- Cranial nerve nuclei
- Neuroanatomy stubs
- Articles with TA98 identifiers
- All stub articles
The hypoglossal nucleus is a cranial nerve nucleus, found within the medulla. Being a motor nucleus, it is close to the midline. In the open medulla, it is visible as what is known as the hypoglossal trigone, a raised area (medial to the vagal trigone) protruding slightly into the fourth ventricle.
| Hypoglossal nucleus | |
|---|---|
 Section of the medulla oblongata. (Hypoglossal nucleus visible top left.) | |
 The cranial nerve nuclei schematically represented; dorsal view. Motor nuclei in red; sensory in blue. (XII labeled at bottom left.) | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nucleus nervi hypoglossi |
| NeuroNames | 757 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_2644 |
| TA98 | A14.1.04.227 |
| TA2 | 6010 |
| FMA | 54505 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The hypoglossal nucleus is located between the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and the midline of the medulla. Axons from the hypoglossal nucleus pass anteriorly through the medulla forming the hypoglossal nerve which exits between the pyramid and olive in a groove called the anterolateral sulcus.
