Situated in brain stem, the pons serves as a relay station from the forebrain to the cerebellum with tracts that carry signals to another important relay station, the thalamus. It also has a vital function in the regulation of respiration (both inspiration and expiration), as well as being intimately involved in REM sleep. Its functional significance extends to balance, bladder control, eye movements, hearing, facial expressions, swallowing and taste. All of this from a small structure measuring about 2.5 cm in length in humans. It is one the earliest neural systems to appear in embryonic development and one of the last to be completed after birth.
See Brain stem, Cerebellum (anatomy), Corticobulbar tract (CBT), Frontal eye fields, Locus coeruleus (or ceruleus), Medulla oblongata, Metencephalon, Raphe nuclei, REM sleep, Thalamus