brainstem areas supplied

Diagram

Vertebral-basilar branches supply these key functional areas:

Region	Medial Structures	Dorsolateral Structures
Rostral Midbrain	• Pyramidal tracts (PT) in cerebral peduncle • Superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) • Oculomotor nucleus/ 3rd nerve • Medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) • Reticular formation (RF)
Mid-Pons	• Medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) • Reticular formation (RF) • Pyramidal tracts (PT)	• Middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) • Trigeminal sensory and motor nuclei/5th nerve
Caudal Pons	• Abducens nerve/ 6th nerve • Motor fibers of 7th nerve • PPRF-lateral gaze center • Pyramidal tracts (PT)	• Facial motor nucleus/7th nerve • Middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) • Descending tract/nucleus of 5th nerve • Spinothalamic tract(ST) • Vestibular (VN) and Cochlear nuclei/ 8th nerve
Rostral Medulla	• Hypoglossal nucleus/12th nerve • Pyramidal tracts • Medial lemniscus	• Nucleus ambiguus • Exiting 9th and 10th nerves • Descending tract/ nucleus of 5th nerve • Spinothalamic tract(ST) • Vestibular nuclei (VN) • Inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP)