A large nucleus occupying the anterolateral aspect of the rostral medulla. The bump seen on the side of the brainstem is simply called the “olive” (with nerve 12 exiting between the olive and the pyramids). In transverse sections the inferior olive looks like a wrinkly capsule, but open medially (the hilum). Olivocerebellar fibers emerge from the hilum, decussate, and then enter the opposite cerebellum by joining the inferior cerebellar peduncle.
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