dorsal raphe nucleus

A large raphe nucleus extending from the anterior part of the pons through the mesencephalon; its neurons are serotoninergic[NIF]. The dorsal raphe nucleus is a part of the raphe nucleus and consists of rostral and caudal subdivisions. The rostral aspect of the dorsal raphe is further divided into interfascicular, ventral, ventrolateral and dorsal subnuclei. The projections of the dorsal raphe have been found to vary topographically, and thus the subnuclei differ in their projections. An increased number of cells in the lateral aspects of the dorsal raphe is characteristic of humans and other primates. [WP,unvetted]. Every claim on this page comes from the Leumas anatomy graph and carries its source.

What the dorsal raphe nucleus is

A large raphe nucleus extending from the anterior part of the pons through the mesencephalon; its neurons are serotoninergic[NIF]. The dorsal raphe nucleus is a part of the raphe nucleus and consists of rostral and caudal subdivisions. The rostral aspect of the dorsal raphe is further divided into interfascicular, ventral, ventrolateral and dorsal subnuclei. The projections of the dorsal raphe have been found to vary topographically, and thus the subnuclei differ in their projections. An increased number of cells in the lateral aspects of the dorsal raphe is characteristic of humans and other primates. [WP,unvetted]. The atlas records it as a nerve at the organ scale in the human body.

Where the dorsal raphe nucleus is

It sits within the nervous system. Not positioned individually. Drawn inside the structure this dataset says contains it — the containment is asserted, the exact spot within it is not.

What the dorsal raphe nucleus connects to

The atlas records 3 typed relationships for it, across 2 kinds of connection. part of midbrain reticular formation and raphe nuclei.

Supply and innervation

This dataset asserts no arterial supply, venous drainage or innervation for the dorsal raphe nucleus. Only a minority of structures carry those edges here, so an empty answer means nothing has been recorded — not that there is nothing to record.

Also called

Also recorded as DR, DRN, cell group b7, dorsal nucleus of the raphe, dorsal nucleus raphe and dorsal raphe, and 8 more. Searching any of those names reaches this page.

Source

Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology (Mungall et al.), CC BY 4.0. Term UBERON:0002043, version 2026-06-19, retrieved 2026-08-24. Licence: CC-BY-4.0.

Questions

Where is the dorsal raphe nucleus?

It sits within the nervous system. Not positioned individually. Drawn inside the structure this dataset says contains it — the containment is asserted, the exact spot within it is not.

What does the dorsal raphe nucleus connect to?

Part of: midbrain reticular formation and raphe nuclei.

Is the dorsal raphe nucleus the same in other species?

Leumas holds the same relationship vocabulary for every species it carries, so where another dataset records this structure you can put the two side by side on /compare.