Corpora quadrigemina

Last revised by Zander Hendrik Engelbrecht on 9 Mar 2022

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Jones J, Engelbrecht Z, Worsley C, et al. Corpora quadrigemina. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 24 Sep 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5806

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-5806

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/5806

rID:

5806

Article created:

23 Mar 2009, Jeremy Jones ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.

View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures

Last revised:

9 Mar 2022, Zander Hendrik Engelbrecht

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Zander Hendrik Engelbrecht had no recorded disclosures.

View Zander Hendrik Engelbrecht's current disclosures

Revisions:

17 times, by 8 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Central Nervous System

Sections:

Anatomy

Tags:

neuroanatomy

Synonyms:

Superior colliculi
Inferior colliculi
Superior colliculus
Corpora quadrigemina
Inferior colliculus

The corpora quadrigemina (Latin for "quadruplet bodies", singular: corpus quadrigeminum) are the four colliculi, two inferior and two superior, that sit on the quadrigeminal plate on the posterior surface of the midbrain.

The corpora quadrigemina are reflex centers involving vision and hearing:

superior colliculi: involved in general light reflex movements of the eyes as well as head, body and limbs in response to light stimulus
- Recieves input from retina and output via tectobulbar and tectospinal tracts to motor nuclei of cranial and spinal nerves
inferior colliculi: involved in auditory processing and reflex movements of eyes, head, body and limbs in response to sound stimuli; they receive input from various brainstem nuclei and project 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.