Central gray

Mesencephalon substantia nigra-pars reticulata, interpeduncular nucleus, central gray ventral tegmental area, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, interpeduncular nucleus... 

Rhombencephalon raphe nuclei, locus coeruleus, pontine reticular formation dorsal raphe nucleus, central gray... 

Interpeduncular nucleus, central gray, mesencephalic reticular formation Rhombencephalon... 

NK3 is also abundantly expressed in many limbic structures (Rothman et al. 1984 Shughrue et al. 1996 Spitznagel et al. 2001), while NKB is only produced in discrete areas, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the septal nuclei, and the central gray (Merchenthaler et al. 1992). It is conceivable that NKB is not the only ligand at NK3 receptors in the limbic system. 

Gray TS, Magnuson DJ (1992) Peptide immunoreactive neurons in the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis project to the midbrain central gray in the rat. Peptides 13 451-460... 

Lateral efferents of the MPOA innervate septum, amygdala, other hypothalamic regions, ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain, and midbrain central gray matter (Numan, 1986). Studies have shown that the MPOA-VTA-basal ganglia (BG) circuit is believed to be of importance in maternal behavior because the BG is a major component of the extrapyramidal system (EPS) (Numan, 1986). Perhaps MPOA neurons relevant to maternal behavior via the BG to EPS promote the somatic-motor processes underlying maternal responsiveness (Numan, 1986). 

Figure 2.1 Fear responses involve the activation of many brain areas. The hypothalamus controls physical changes in the body, such as increased blood pressure and dilated pupils. The central gray area causes freezing behavior, the reticular net triggers a reflex response, and norepinephrine increases attention.

The other brain region involved in benzodiazepine effects on anxiety is the central gray region. Benzodiazepines injected into the central gray have been shown to reduce anxiety in the elevated plus maze. 

Central gray— A region deep in the brain that suppresses motor activation and causes freezing behavior. 

Noradrenergic cell bodies are found primarily in a compact cell group called the locus caeruleus located in the caudal pontine central gray matter. The number of neurons in this cell group is small, approximately 1500 on each side of the brain in the rat. 

In most cases of the thoracolumbar infarction, the swollen cord shows peripheral enhancement of the central gray matter. The concomitant enhancement of the cauda equina was reported first by Friedman and Flanders in 1992 (Fig. 17.8). This phenomenon is a characteristic finding in the course of spinal cord ischemia which might involve the cord itself and the ventral cauda equina as well, which is composed of motor fibre bundles (Amano et al. 1998). It indicates disruption of the blood-cord barrier as well as reactive hyperemia (Friedman and Flanders 1992 Amano et al. 1998). The differential diagnosis of contrast enhancement of the cauda equina includes transverse myelitis, bacterial or viral meningitis, and spinal metastasis. 

Figure 6 Light micrograph of the transport of fluorescein dye across full-thickness female human breast skin. Constant current was applied for 10 min at a current density of -0.16 mA/cm. Arrows point to discrete localized sites of fluorescein dye deposition. The central gray bar passing through the image field is a shadow of the Ag/AgCl electrode. The scale bar is 1 mm. (Reproduced with permission from Ref. 27.)...

---