The red nucleus is an oval mass in the midbrain tegmentum, named for its pinkish colour in fresh brain tissue, which comes from its rich blood supply and iron content. It receives input from the cerebellum and motor cortex. In humans it projects mainly to the inferior olive, with a smaller rubrospinal tract to the spinal cord.
| Location | Upper midbrain tegmentum, at the level of the superior colliculus, behind the substantia nigra and traversed by the oculomotor nerve fascicles |
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| Connections |
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| Blood Supply | Paramedian perforators of the posterior cerebral artery and basilar tip |
Takes part in a cerebellar loop that coordinates and corrects limb movement, especially arm and hand movements.
Lesions of or near the red nucleus cause Holmes (rubral) tremor, a slow, coarse tremor present at rest, with posture and with action. Benedikt and Claude syndromes involve the red nucleus region. Damage to the dentato-rubro-olivary pathway (Guillain-Mollaret triangle) can lead to palatal tremor and hypertrophy of the inferior olive.
An irregular, low-frequency tremor present at rest, with posture and with action, caused by lesions of the midbrain red nucleus region or its cerebellar connections.
A midbrain stroke involving the red nucleus and oculomotor fascicles, producing third nerve palsy with contralateral tremor.
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