median raphe nucleus

median raphe nucleus (RPHmn)

The term median raphe nucleus (RPHmn) refers to a narrow layer of predominantly serotonin containing cells: B8 cell group dorsally; B9 cell group ventrally ( Felten-1983 ). Located in the midline of the pontine reticular formation it is bounded laterally by the paramedian raphe nucleus. It is found in the human ( Hornung-2012 ), the macaque ( Paxinos-2009a ), the rat, ( Swanson-2004 ), and the mouse ( Franklin-2008 ). Functionally it is part of the behavioral state system, where it is known as the superior central nucleus raphe, medial part ( Swanson-2004 ).

Also known as: superior central nucleus, Nucleus centralis superior, superior central tegmental nucleus, Nucleus fusiformis raphes, Nucleus superior raphes, superior central nucleus, medial part, median raphe nucleus, median nucleus of the raphe, central superior nucleus of the raphe, medial part, superior central nucleus raphe, medial part, medial part of the superior central nucleus of the raphe

NeuroNames ID: 562

All Names & Sources

1 of 22

Showing 22 synonym(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 22 synonym(s)

Name:

nucleo mediano del rafe (Carpenter)

Language:

Italian

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1995

Citation:

EdiSes, s.r.l.- Napoli, 1995

Source Title:

Fondamenti di Neuroanatomia

Name:

SuC

Language:

acronym

Organism:

macaque

Source:

Martin-2000

Citation:

Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000

Source Title:

Primate Brain Maps: Structure Of The Macaque Brain

Name:

superior central nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1983

Source Title:

Human Neuroanatomy

Name:

superior central nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis

Source:

Szabo-1984

Citation:

J Comp Neurol 1984 Jan 10;222(2):265-300

Source Title:

A stereotaxic atlas of the brain of the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

Name:

Nucleus centralis superior

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Riley-1943

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1943

Source Title:

An Atlas Of The Basal Ganglia, Brain Stem And Spinal Cord (Based On Myelin-Stained Material)

Name:

Nucleus centralis superior

Language:

Latin

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis

Source:

Shantha-1968

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1968

Source Title:

A Stereotaxic Atlas Of The Java Monkey Brain (Macaca irus)

Name:

superior central tegmental nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Crosby-1962

Citation:

New York: MacMillan, 1962

Source Title:

Correlative Anatomy of the Nervous System

Name:

Nucleus fusiformis raphes

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Riley-1943

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1943

Source Title:

An Atlas Of The Basal Ganglia, Brain Stem And Spinal Cord (Based On Myelin-Stained Material)

Name:

Nucleus superior raphes

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Riley-1943

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1943

Source Title:

An Atlas Of The Basal Ganglia, Brain Stem And Spinal Cord (Based On Myelin-Stained Material)

Name:

nucleo centrale superiore

Language:

Italian

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1995

Citation:

EdiSes, s.r.l.- Napoli, 1995

Source Title:

Fondamenti di Neuroanatomia

Name:

superior central nucleus, medial part

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Swanson-1998

Citation:

Second Revised Edition, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, 1998

Source Title:

Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain

Name:

nukleus sentral superior

Language:

Indonesian

Organism:

human

Source:

Noback-1982

Citation:

Jakarta: Penerbit Buku Kedokteran EGC, 1982

Source Title:

Anatomi Susunan Saraf Manusia, Prinsip-Prinsip Dasar Neurobiologi

Name:

nucleus centralis superior

Language:

Indonesian

Organism:

human

Source:

Noback-1982

Citation:

Jakarta: Penerbit Buku Kedokteran EGC, 1982

Source Title:

Anatomi Susunan Saraf Manusia, Prinsip-Prinsip Dasar Neurobiologi

Name:

median raphe nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Paxinos-2012

Citation:

Chapter 36 in The Human Nervous System, Third Edition, JK Mai and G Paxinos (Eds.), pp. 186-232, Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Source Title:

Organization of Brainstem Nuclei

Name:

MnR

Language:

acronym

Organism:

rat

Source:

Paxinos-2009b

Citation:

Sixth Edition, Amsterdam: Amsterdam: Elsevier-Academic Press

Source Title:

The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates

Name:

median nucleus of the raphe

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1983

Source Title:

Human Neuroanatomy

Name:

CSm

Language:

acronym

Organism:

rat

Source:

Swanson-2004

Citation:

Third Edition, Elsevier Academic Press, Oxford, 2004

Source Title:

Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain.

Name:

central superior nucleus of the raphe, medial part

Language:

English

Organism:

mouse

Source:

Hof-2000

Citation:

Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000

Source Title:

Comparative Cytoarchitectonic Atlas of the C57BL/6 and 129/Sv Mouse Brains

Name:

superior central nucleus raphe, medial part

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Swanson-2004

Citation:

Third Edition, Elsevier Academic Press, Oxford, 2004

Source Title:

Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain.

Name:

medial part of the superior central nucleus of the raphe

Language:

English

Organism:

Unspecified

Source:

NeuroNames

Citation:

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Source Title:

NeuroNames

Name:

MnR

Language:

acronym

Organism:

Macaca mulatta

Source:

Paxinos-2009a

Citation:

Amsterdam: Elsevier-Academic Press. 2009

Source Title:

The Rhesus Monkey Brain, Second Edition

Name:

RPHmn

Language:

acronym

Organism:

Unspecified

Source:

NeuroNames

Citation:

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Source Title:

NeuroNames

Illustrations

Showing 4 illustration(s)

myelin stain & diagram of
all aspects in
human

labeled line drawings of
sagittal section in
Macaca fascicularis

multiple views of
3D reconstruction in
Macaca mulatta

Nissl stain & diagram of
sagittal section in
mouse

Species With The Structure

Equivalent By	Human	Macaque	Rat	Mouse
Topology	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Relevant Data Not Located

1 of 8

Showing 8 record(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 8 record(s)

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus centralis superior

Source:

Riley-1943

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus fusiformis raphes

Source:

Riley-1943

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus superior raphes

Source:

Riley-1943

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

superior central nucleus

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

superior central tegmental nucleus

Source:

Crosby-1962

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis (Macaca fascicularis)

Their Name:

Nucleus centralis superior

Source:

Shantha-1968

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis (Macaca fascicularis)

Their Name:

superior central nucleus

Source:

Szabo-1984

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

superior central nucleus, medial part

Source:

Swanson-1998

Models Where It Appears

Structural CNS Model - Macaque

Brain structures of the macaque are illustrated in BrainInfo’s NeuroMaps macaque brain atlas. Structures are grouped by proximity in a hierarchy corresponding to the central nervous system hierarchy of NeuroNames ( Bowden-1995 Martin-2000 ). Structures in the NeuroMaps atlas are based on the segmentation of an MRI of the brain of a 3-year old male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The atlas is most useful for targeting structures for implantating electrodes and chemtrodes. Updated 29 Oct 2025.

metabrain (metencephalon)

pons

pontine tegmentum

pontine reticular formation

median raphe nucleus (superior central nucleus)

paramedian raphe nucleus

nucleus of the medial eminence

rostral pontine reticular nucleus (oral pontine reticular nucleus)

caudal pontine reticular nucleus

pontine central gray (central gray of the pons)

tegmental reticular nucleus (reticulotegmental nucleus)

superior olivary complex

medial parabrachial nucleus

lateral parabrachial nucleus

motor nucleus of the trigeminal nerve

oral part of the spinal trigeminal nucleus

pontine raphe nucleus

dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus

principal sensory nucleus of the trigeminal nerve

ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus

superior medullary velum

mesencephalic tract of the trigeminal nerve

abducens nerve fibers

medial longitudinal fasciculus of the pons

central tegmental tract of the pons

dorsal acoustic stria

dorsal trigeminal tract

superior cerebellar peduncle of the pons

vestibulocochlear nerve fibers

trigeminal nerve fibers

motor root of the trigeminal nerve

lateral lemniscus

medial lemniscus of the pons

trapezoid body

decussation of the trochlear nerve

basal pons (basal part of the pons)

fourth ventricle

cerebellum

medulla

cisterna magna (cerebellomedullary cistern)

choroidal fissure

Functional CNS Model - Rat

The Functional CNS Model - Rat (FMrat) ( Swanson-2004) is one of three hierarchical models representing the internal organization of the central nervous system (CNS). The others are the Structural CNS Model - Human (SThmn) and the Functional CNS Model - Human (FMhmn). The FMrat model represents the basic organization of the mouse ( Hof-2000 AMBA-2024 ) and, presumably, other rodents. Functional CNS models differ from structural models in that structures are defined and named by connectivity rather than by proximity to other structures at the same level. Functional models are more useful for representing longitudinal components of are grouped based on information drawn from multiple neuroscientific disciplines. such as connections, neurochemical characteristics, and role in physiogical and behavioral processes. While the Functional Model was developed primarily for an atlas of the rat brain ( Swanson-2004 ), the hierarchical organization of structures is for the most part applicable to the human, macaque, mouse and other mammalian brains as well. Structures at lower levels of the Functional CNS hierarchy are largely the same as in the Classical and Developmental Models, i.e., they were originally identified by stains for gray matter (Nissl substance) and white matter (myelin). At the next higher level they are grouped into basic connectional and functional systems of the CNS, such as the subcortical sensory systems, the brainstem motor system and the behavioral state system. At the highest levels CNS structures are grouped on the basis of dissection and embryologic precursors into cerebrum ( cerebral cortex and cerebral nuclei ), cerebellum, and cerebrospinal trunk.

gray matter (central nervous system gray matter)

cerebrum

cerebellum

cerebrospinal trunk

subcortical sensory systems (sensory system)

behavioral state system

intermediate nucleus of the preoptic area (ventrolateral preoptic nucleus)

suprachiasmatic nucleus

subparaventricular zone

dorsal region of the lateral hypothalamic area (hypothalamic lateral zone, state related)

magnocellular tuberomammillary nuclei (tuberomammillary nucleus)

supramammillary area (supramammillary nucleus)