Center for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Department of Neurology, Division of Sleep Medicine and Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Clin Neurophysiol. 2019 Jun;130(6):925-940. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2019.03.008. Epub 2019 Mar 28.
The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is located in the mesopontine tegmentum and is best delimited by a group of large cholinergic neurons adjacent to the decussation of the superior cerebellar peduncle. This part of the brain, populated by many other neuronal groups, is a crossroads for many important functions. Good evidence relates the PPN to control of reflex reactions, sleep-wake cycles, posture and gait. However, the precise role of the PPN in all these functions has been controversial and there still are uncertainties in the functional anatomy and physiology of the nucleus. It is difficult to grasp the extent of the influence of the PPN, not only because of its varied functions and projections, but also because of the controversies arising from them. One controversy is its relationship to the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR). In this regard, the PPN has become a new target for deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of parkinsonian gait disorders, including freezing of gait. This review is intended to indicate what is currently known, shed some light on the controversies that have arisen, and to provide a framework for future research.
被盖腹侧核（PPN）位于脑桥被盖腹侧，由毗邻小脑上脚交叉的一群大型胆碱能神经元来最佳界定。这个由许多其他神经元群组成的脑区，是许多重要功能的交汇点。有充分的证据表明 PPN 与反射反应、睡眠-觉醒周期、姿势和步态的控制有关。然而，PPN 在所有这些功能中的精确作用一直存在争议，并且该核的功能解剖学和生理学仍然存在不确定性。不仅因为其功能和投射的多样性，而且还因为由此产生的争议，难以把握 PPN 的影响程度。其中一个争议是它与中脑运动区（MLR）的关系。在这方面，PPN 已成为深部脑刺激（DBS）治疗帕金森步态障碍（包括冻结步态）的新靶点。这篇综述旨在指出目前已知的情况，阐明出现的争议，并为未来的研究提供框架。
