PONS

plural Pontes, a portion of the mammalian brain lying above the medulla oblongata and below the cerebellum and the cavity of the fourth ventricle. The pons is a broad, horseshoe-shaped mass of transverse nerve fibres that connect the medulla with the cerebellum. It is also the point of origin or termination for four of the cranial nerves that transfer sensory information and motor impulses to and from the facial region and the brain. The pons also serves as a pathway for nerve fibres connecting the cerebral cortex with the cerebellum.