Corticopontine fibers

More commonly refered to as corticobulbar fibers. Corticopontine fibers refer to motor fibers that stretch from the precentral gyrus (motor strip) to the nuclei of cranial nerves V (trigenimal), VII (facial), and XII (hypoglossal). These fibers run alongside the corticospinal fibers

Several clinical phenomenon result from injury to the corticopontine fibers. The corticopontine fibers to CN V and CN XIIdescend to bilateral nuclei. Injury to these fibers result in tongue weakness (CN XII) and jaw weakness (CV V) but not full paralysis. The corticopontine fibers to CN VII descend to innervate bilatteral subnuclei that supply the forehead but only contralateral to the subnuclei that supply the lower face. Injury to these fibers result in paralysis of the lower face, but only weakness of the forehead.