(Redirected from Tectum)
The 'tectum' (Latin: ''roof'') is a region of the
brain, specifically the dorsal part of the
mesencephalon (midbrain).
It is derived in embryonic development from the
alar plate of the
neural tube. In adult humans it is present only in the mesencephalon as the
inferior and the
superior colliculi.
★ The superior colliculus is involved in preliminary
visual processing and control of
eye movements. In non-mammalian vertebrates it serves as the main visual area of the brain, functionally analogous to the visual areas of the
cerebral cortex in mammals.
★ The inferior colliculus is involved in
auditory processing. It receives input from various brain stem nuclei and projects to the
medial geniculate nucleus of the
thalamus, which relays auditory information to the
primary auditory cortex.
Both colliculi also have descending projections to the
paramedian pontine reticular formation and
spinal cord, and thus can be involved in responses to stimuli faster than cortical processing would allow. Collectively the colliculi are referred to as the
corpora quadrigemina.
The term "tectal plate" (or "quadrigeminal plate") is used to describe the junction of the gray and white matter in the embryo. (, )
See also
★
List of regions in the human brain
External links
★
Diagram
★
Photo
★
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