Wiktionary
n. Part of the brain that is involved in actions such as awaking/sleeping cycle, and filtering incoming stimuli to discriminate irrelevant background stimuli
WordNet
n. a complex neural network in the central core of the brainstem; monitors the state of the body and functions in such processes as arousal and sleep and attention and muscle tone [syn: RF]
Wikipedia
The reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei that are located throughout the brainstem. The reticular formation is not anatomically well defined because it includes neurons located in diverse parts of the brain. The neurons of the reticular formation all play a crucial role in maintaining behavioral arousal and consciousness. The functions of the reticular formation are modulatory and premotor. The modulatory functions are primarily found in the rostral sector of the reticular formation and the premotor functions are localized in the neurons in more caudal regions.
The reticular formation is divided into three columns: raphe nuclei (median), gigantocellular reticular nuclei (medial zone), and parvocellular reticular nuclei (lateral zone). The raphe nuclei is the place of synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays an important role in mood regulation. The gigantocellular nuclei is involved in motor coordination. The parvocellular nuclei regulates exhalation.
It is essential for governing some of the basic functions of higher organisms and is one of the phylogenetically oldest portions of the brain.
Usage examples of "reticular formation".
A delicate operation had removed part of the reticular formation, the section of the hindbrain that controls sleep.
General anaesthesia that is considered acceptable to use on human persons must suppress this reticular formation.
Clark Nelson, had stumbled onto a butyrophenone derivative which had slowed the electrical activity only in the reticular formation of a monkey.
Neither d-tubocurarine, pavulon, succinylcholine nor ketamine are reticular formation suppressants, though they'll knock you out.
Coverning the entire nervous system is a complex system of cells in the brain stem known as the reticular formation.
He felt that eventually drugs were going to be specific enough so that just the reticular formation itself would be altered, thereby reducing the amount of drugs necessary to control anesthesia.