Superior olivary nucleus

Last revised by Elmira Hassanzadeh on 12 Jun 2021

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Palipana D, Hassanzadeh E, Hacking C, et al. Superior olivary nucleus. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 03 Oct 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-58744

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-58744

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/58744?iframe=true

rID:

58744

Article created:

4 Mar 2018, Dinesh Palipana

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Dinesh Palipana had no recorded disclosures.

View Dinesh Palipana's current disclosures

Last revised:

12 Jun 2021, Elmira Hassanzadeh

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Elmira Hassanzadeh had no recorded disclosures.

View Elmira Hassanzadeh's current disclosures

Revisions:

9 times, by 4 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Central Nervous System

Sections:

Anatomy

Tags:

brainstem, brain, neuroanatomy, central nervous system

Synonyms:

superior olivary nuclei
superior olivary complex
SOC

The superior olivary nuclei (or complex, SOC) are a group of nuclei within the pons contributing to the ascending and descending auditory pathways.

Gross anatomy

The superior olivary nuclei are located in the pons, while the inferior olivary nuclei are located in the medulla. It is generally situated caudally near the facial nucleus, in the tegmentum of the caudal pons. At the level of the pontomedullary junction, it is lateral in the reticular formation.

Function

The superior olivary complex contains two main nuclei: the medial superior olive (MSO) and the lateral superior olive (LSO).

The MSO has a larger number of neurons than the LSO, and is thought to play a more prominent role in human hearing.

The superior olivary nuclei contain binaural neurons that respond to input from the inner ears. The trapezoid bodies amplify the left-right difference of sounds from the cochlear nuclei before the signals reach the superior olivary complex. The superior olivary nuclei may localize sound on the horizontal plane based on binaural differences in timing and intensity of sound. However, detailed functional aspects of these groups are still under investigation.