Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus (MLF): Anatomy, Pathways, and Functions

Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus (MLF): Anatomy, Pathways, And Functions

Question 1. Write a short note on the medial longitudinal fasciculus/medial longitudinal bundle.

Answer. The medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), also called the medial longitudinal bundle (MLB), is an important association tract on either side of the median plane in the brainstem. It extends cranially to the interstitial nucleus of Cajal (accessory oculomotor nucleus), and caudally it becomes continuous with the intersegmental fasciculus of the spinal cord.

medial longitudinal fasciculus

• It connects the nuclei of the cranial nerves that move the eyeballs, and in this way, it coordinates the movements of both eyeballs.
• It connects the nuclei of the cranial nerves responsible for articulation, and in this way, it associates together the movements of the organs responsible for articulation.
• It connects both the vestibular and cochlear nuclei with the nuclei of the nerves of the eyeball and with the anterior horn cells of the spinal nerves; in this way, it associates movements of the eyes and those of the body in response to movements of the head or in response to sound.

brainstem eye movement pathways

Functions Of the Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus

• Coordination of the conjugate movements of the eyeball.
• Coordination of the movements of the head and neck in response to audiovisual reflexes.