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Cerebellar and olivary projections of the external and rostral internal cuneate nuclei in the cat

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Summary

The cerebellar projection of the external cuneate nucleus and the adjoining rostral part of the internal cuneate nucleus were investigated by means of anterograde transport of tritiated leucine. The cuneocerebellar tract terminates as mossy fiber rosettes in the granular layer. The termination area has a more or less spherical form with its centre at the ipsilateral side. It comprises the anterior and posterior vermes bilaterally and the ipsilateral hemispheral parts of the anterior and simple lobules, the medial aspect of the ansiform lobule and the paramedian lobule. Within this area the mossy fiber terminals are arranged in continuous sagittal strips, some of them clearly separated from one another. The strips were found in the cerebellar modules A-D. Concomitant bilateral projections to several subdivisions of the inferior olive were found. Some of these provide the anatomical substrate for the simultaneous activation of a number of mossy and climbing fiber zones observed in the anterior lobe following stimulation of different forelimb nerves. No evidence was found for a termination of mossy fiber collaterals in the central cerebellar nuclei.

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Abbreviations

β:

subnucleus β

bp:

brachium pontis

CCT:

cuneocerebellar tract

CE:

nucleus cuneatus externus

cf:

climbing fiber

CI:

nucleus cuneatus internus

cr:

corpus restiforme

DAO:

dorsal accessory olive

DCN:

dorsal column nuclei

DF-SOCP:

dorsal funiculus spino-olivocerebellar pathway

dl:

dorsal lamina of the PO

dmcc:

dorso-medial cell column

DV:

nucleus vestibularis descendens

E-CCP:

exteroceptive cuneocerebellar pathway

F:

nucleus fastigii

FL:

flocculus

flm:

fasciculus longitudinalis medialis

G:

nucleus gracilis

HRP:

horseradish peroxidase

HVI:

hemisphere of lobule VI (Roman numerals)

IA:

nucleus interpositus anterior

IP:

nucleus interpositus posterior

L:

nucleus lateralis

MAO:

medial accessory olive

mf:

mossy filber

mft:

mossy fiber terminal

MV:

nucleus vestibularis medialis

PAR:

lobus paramedianus

PFLD:

dorsal paraflocculus

PFLV:

ventral paraflocculus

PH:

nucleus prepositus hypoglossi

PO:

principal olive

P-CCP:

proprioceptive cuneocerebellar pathway

rV:

ramus descendens of the nucleus trigeminus

TS:

nucleus solitarius

Vi:

pars interpolaris of the nucleus trigeminus

vl:

ventral lamina of the PO

I-X:

lobules I to X (Roman numerals)

XII:

nucleus hypoglossi (Roman numerals)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Leiden, NL-2333, AL Leiden, The Netherlands

    N. M. Gerrits, J. Voogd & W. S. C. Nas

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  1. N. M. Gerrits
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  2. J. Voogd
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  3. W. S. C. Nas
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Gerrits, N.M., Voogd, J. & Nas, W.S.C. Cerebellar and olivary projections of the external and rostral internal cuneate nuclei in the cat. Exp Brain Res 57, 239–255 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236529

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236529

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