Section of the medulla oblongata at about the middle of the olive. (Accessory cuneate nucleus is not labeled, but cuneate nucleus is labeled at upper right, and the accessory cuneate nucleus would be found lateral to it.)
The accessory cuneate nucleus (also lateral cuneate nucleus, or external cuneate nucleus[1]: 431 ) is a nucleus situated in the caudal medulla oblongata just lateral to the cuneate nucleus. It relays unconscious proprioceptive sensory information from the upper limb and upper trunk to the cerebellum via the cuneocerebellar fibers.[2]
The neurons of the ACN (as well as those of the lateral portion of the cuneate nucleus) are functionally homologous with the posterior thoracic nucleus; the cuneocerebellar fibers are therefore the upper body functional equivalent of the dorsal spinocerebellar tract.[1]: 432
^ abPatestas, Maria A.; Gartner, Leslie P. (2016). A Textbook of Neuroanatomy (2nd ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. p. 102. ISBN978-1-118-67746-9.
