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• pons
  pons

  noun

  a band of nerve fibers in the brain connecting the lobes of the midbrain, medulla, and cerebrum.
• Pons
  Pons

  noun

  Lily 1904–76, U.S. operatic soprano, born in France.

pons

¹ American  

[ponz] / pɒnz /

noun

Anatomy.

pontes plural

1. Also called pons Varolii.  a band of nerve fibers in the brain connecting the lobes of the midbrain, medulla, and cerebrum.

2. any tissue connecting two parts of a body organ or structure.

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Pons ² American  

[ponz, pawns] / pɒnz, pɔ̃s /

noun

1. Lily 1904–76, U.S. operatic soprano, born in France.

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pons British  

/ pɒnz /

noun

1. a bridge of connecting tissue

2. short for pons Varolii

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pons Scientific  

/ pŏnz /

pontes plural

1. A thick band of nerve fibers in the brainstem of humans and other mammals that links the brainstem to the cerebellum and upper portions of the brain. It is important in the reflex control of involuntary processes, including respiration and circulation. All neural information transmitted between the spinal cord and the brain passes through the pons.

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Etymology

Origin of pons

1685–95; < Latin pōns bridge ( see punt ¹)

Example Sentences

Han's team hypothesized that certain emotions or behaviors could lead cortical neurons to activate the pons, which would then lower activity in the medulla, resulting in slower breath.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2024

However, messages coming down from the pons actually inhibit activity in the medulla, leading breathing rates to slow down.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2024

The afferent, bipolar neurons that convey auditory information travel from the cochlea to the medulla, through the pons and midbrain in the brainstem, finally reaching the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobe.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The cerebellum helps coordinate skeletal muscle activity, and the medulla oblongata and pons in the brainstem are centers for vital functions, such as breathing and heart rate.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

They are most common in the pons, basal ganglia, and cerebellum, but occur also in the cerebral cortex and sometimes in the centrum ovale.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander