Pons

The pons is part of the brain stem derived from the Latin "pons" meaning bridge. It is the crossover point for ascending sensory and descending motor tracts linking higher and lower brain centers, and for transverse fiber pathways entering and leaving the cerebellum on each side. Its significance lies in the fact three cranial nerves arise from it and along with the medulla oblongata it regulates the rate and depth of breathing. The cranial nerves are the sixth cranial nerve, the abducens nerve, seventh cranial nerve, the facial nerve and the eighth cranial nerve, the vestibuloocular nerve