pons /ponz/ pl. pontes [L, bridge] , 1. a prominence on the ventral surface of the brainstem, between the medulla oblongata and the cerebral peduncles of the midbrain. The pons consists of white matter and a few nuclei and is divided into a ventral part and a dorsal part. The ventral part consists of transverse fibers separated by longitudinal bundles and small nuclei. The dorsal part comprises the tegmentum, which is a continuation of the reticular formation of the medulla containing the nucleus of the abducens nerve, the nucleus of the facial nerve, the motor nucleus of the trigeminal nerve, the sensory nuclei of the trigeminal nerve, the nucleus of the cochlear division of the eighth nerve, the superior olive, and the nuclei of the vestibular division of the eighth nerve. Also called bridge of Varolius. 2. any slip of tissue connecting two parts of a structure or an organ of the body. −pontile, pontine, adj.
