English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editShortening of periaqueductal gray matter.
Noun
editperiaqueductal gray (plural not attested)
- (neuroanatomy) The region surrounding the cerebral aqueduct in the midbrain, playing an important role in analgesia. [From 20th c.]
- Synonyms: central gray, PAG
- 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 601:
- The periaqueductal gray contains circuits that control the sensorimotor components of rage.
References
edit- Bear et al. Neuroscience, Exploring the Brain Co. 2001, Lippincot Williams and Wilkins