Olivary body
In anatomy, the olivary bodies or simply olives (Latin oliva and olivae, singular and plural, respectively) are a pair of prominent oval structures in the medulla oblongata, the lower portion of the brainstem. They contain the olivary nuclei.
Structure
The olivary body is located on the anterior surface of the medulla lateral to the pyramid, from which it is separated by the antero-lateral sulcus and the fibers of the hypoglossal nerve.
Behind (dorsally), it is separated from the postero-lateral sulcus by the ventral spinocerebellar fasciculus. In the depression between the upper end of the olive and the pons lies the vestibulocochlear nerve.
In humans, it measures about 1.25 cm. in length, and between its upper end and the pons there is a slight depression to which the roots of the facial nerve are attached.
The external arcuate fibers wind across the lower part of the pyramid and olive and enter the inferior peduncle.
Olivary nuclei
The olive consists of two parts:
The inferior olivary nucleus (or 'complex'), which is a part of the olivo-cerebellar system and is mainly involved in cerebellar motor-learning and function.
