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Descending projections from brainstem and sensorimotor cortex to spinal enlargements in the cat

Single and double retrograde tracer studies

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Summary

Single and double retrograde tracer techniques were employed in cats to investigate: (1) the topographical relationships between supraspinal neurons projecting to either the brachial or lumbosacral enlargement, (2) the distribution and relative frequency of single supraspinal neurons which project to both enlargements by means of axonal branching.

In one group of cats large injections of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were made throughout either the brachial or lumbosacral enlargement. The results from these experiments support recent observations on the multiplicity of brainstem centers giving origin to descending spinal pathways and provide evidence for a population of corticospinal neurons in area 6.

In a second set of experiments, HRP was injected in one enlargement, and 3H-apo-HRP (enzymatically inactive) was injected in the other enlargement. Relatively large numbers of neurons with collateral projections to both enlargements (double-labeled) were observed in the medullary and pontine reticular formation, the medial and inferior vestibular nuclei bilaterally, the ipsilateral lateral vestibular nucleus, Edinger-Westphal nucleus, caudal midline raphe nuclei and nuclear regions surrounding the brachium conjunctivum. By contrast, double-labeled neurons were infrequently observed in the red nucleus and sensorimotor cortex, contralateral to the injections.

In the red nucleus, lateral vestibular nucleus and sensorimotor cortex, neurons projecting to the brachial enlargement were largely segregated topographically from neurons projecting to the lumbosacral enlargement. However, there was some overlap, and double-labeled neurons were consistently observed within the region of overlap. In the sensorimotor cortex, the overlap between brachial- and lumbar-projecting neurons was most prominent in areas 4 and 3a, along the cruciate sulcus, but also involved other cytoarchitectonic regions in the medial aspect of the hemisphere.

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Abbreviations

AM:

nucleus ambiguus

ap:

area postrema

aq:

aqueduct

BC:

brachium conjunctivum

ci:

central inferior nucleus of the raphe

cs:

central superior nucleus of the raphe

Cun:

cuneate nucleus

EC:

external cuneate nucleus

EW:

Edinger-Westphal nucleus

ETC:

central tegmental field

FTG:

gigantocellular tegmental field

FTL:

lateral tegmental field

FTM:

magnocellular tegmental field

FTP:

paralemniscal tegmental field

Gr:

gracile nucleus

IO:

inferior olive

K-F:

Kölliker-Fuse nucleus

LC:

nucleus locus coeruleus

li:

rostral linear nucleus of the raphe

LR:

lateral reticular nucleus

mlf:

medial longitudinal fasciculus

PAG:

periaqueductal gray

PbL:

lateral parabrachial nucleus

PG:

pontine gray

PON:

preolivary nucleus

ppr:

post-pyramidal nucleus of the raphe

RB:

restiform body

RNm:

red nucleus, magnocellular division

RNp:

red nucleus, parvocellular division

SC:

superior colliculus

SN:

substantia nigra

SOl:

lateral nucleus of the superior olive

SOm:

medial nucleus of the superior olive

Spin V:

spinal trigeminal nucleus

SubC:

nucleus subcoeruleus

TB:

trapezoid body

tb:

nucleus of the trapezoid body

trm:

tegmental reticular nucleus

VInf:

inferior vestibular nucleus

VLd:

lateral vestibular nucleus, dorsal division

VLv:

lateral vestibular nucleus, ventral division

VM:

medial vestibular nucleus

VSm:

superior vestibular nucleus, medial division

III:

oculomotor nucleus or nerve

V:

sensory nucleus of the trigeminal nerve

VI:

abducens nucleus

VII I:

facial nucleus, lateral part

VII m:

facial nucleus, medial part

X:

vagus nucleus

XII:

hypoglossal nucleus

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Author notes

  1. N. L. Hayes

    Present address: Abteilung Neurobiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Postfach 968, D-3400, Göttingen, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anatomy and Physiology, and The Neurobiology Program, Division of Health Affairs, University of North Carolina, 27514, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    N. L. Hayes & A. Rustioni

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  1. N. L. Hayes
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  2. A. Rustioni
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Additional information

The research was supported by USPHS grants NS 12440 and MH 14277. 3H-apo-HRP was generously provided by New England Nuclear

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Hayes, N.L., Rustioni, A. Descending projections from brainstem and sensorimotor cortex to spinal enlargements in the cat. Exp Brain Res 41, 89–107 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236598

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236598

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