| reticular formation n. A diffuse network of nerve fibers and cells in parts of the brainstem, important in regulating consciousness or wakefulness. |
reticular formation (r -tk y -lr) A complex network of neurons and axons that is located throughout the brainstem. The reticular formation regulates consciousness, sleep, and wakefulness. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | reticular formation - a complex neural network in the central core of the brainstem; monitors the state of the body and functions in such processes as arousal and sleep and attention and muscle tone brain stem, brain-stem, brainstem - the part of the brain continuous with the spinal cord and comprising the medulla oblongata and pons and midbrain and parts of the hypothalamus neural net, neural network - any network of neurons or nuclei that function together to perform some function in the body RAS, reticular activating system - the network in the reticular formation that serves an alerting or arousal function |
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