What is the name of the brain’s network of interconnected nuclei that helps regulate sleep and wakefulness?

The reticular formation is a network of interconnected nuclei that helps regulate sleep and wakefulness.

It extends through the brainstem rather than forming one compact, single structure. Its neurons participate in arousal, attention, muscle tone, breathing, cardiovascular regulation, and the filtering of incoming sensory information. Ascending pathways from the reticular formation help maintain the level of activation needed for conscious awareness.

The ascending reticular activating system is the part most closely associated with wakefulness and alertness. Damage to these pathways can severely reduce consciousness, while changes in their activity contribute to normal transitions between sleep and wakefulness.

The reticular formation should not be confused with the reticular nucleus of the thalamus or with the reticular fibers found in connective tissues. It also works with the hypothalamus, thalamus, and cerebral cortex, so sleep and consciousness are not controlled by one brain region alone.