Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

In Vivo Morphometric Analysis of Human Cranial Nerves Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Menière's Disease Ears and Normal Hearing Ears
Published on: February 21, 2018
Development of the human cuneatus medialis nucleus: a morphometric evaluation
Xiaoxin Ma1, Noboru Goto, Jun Goto
1Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, 5-8, Hatanodai 1, Shinagawa-Ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan.
Abstract:
The morphometric features of the development of the human cuneatus medialis nucleus (CMN) were examined using complete serial celloidin sections of 11 brains: nine fetal brains, the brain of a 2-month-old infant and that of a 63-year-old adult. The morphometric analysis revealed at least four stages in the development of the CMN characterized by the maturation of neurons: (1) immature neuronal stage, (2) preparatory stage, (3) accelerated development stage and (4) postnatal stage. The development of the human CMN accelerates after 32 weeks of gestation (WG), and postnatal qualitative maturation also occurs. From the viewpoint of morphometric evaluation, the CMN gradually matures between 18 and 40 WG without a rapid growth phase as far as we have observed.

