Tectal projections to the parvicellular reticular formation and the upper cervical spinal cord in the rat, with special reference to axon collateral innervation

After Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin injection into the lateral part of the superior colliculus (SC) in the rat, labeled fibers and axon terminals in the lower brainstem were distributed not only in the medial reticular formation but also in the lateral tegmental field including the parvicellula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research 1998-08, Vol.804 (1), p.149-154
Main Authors: Yasui, Yukihiko, Ono, Katsuhiko, Tsumori, Toshiko, Yokota, Shigefumi, Kishi, Toshiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy
Animals
Axon collateral
Axons - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Central nervous system
Cervical spinal cord
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Male
Neck
Parvicellular reticular formation
Rat
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Reticular Formation - physiology
Spinal Cord - physiology
Superior Colliculi - physiology
Superior colliculus
Synaptic Transmission - physiology
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:After Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin injection into the lateral part of the superior colliculus (SC) in the rat, labeled fibers and axon terminals in the lower brainstem were distributed not only in the medial reticular formation but also in the lateral tegmental field including the parvicellular reticular formation (RFp). More caudally, in the upper cervical spinal cord labeled fibers with bouton-like varicosities were distributed mainly in laminae V, VII and VIII, with relatively sparse distribution in lamina IX. These labeled axons were found bilaterally with a clear-cut contralateral dominance. After combined injections of rhodamine–dextranamine, Fluoro-ruby (FR) into the RFp and Fluoro-gold (FG) into the upper cervical spinal cord on the same side, SC neurons labeled with FR were intermingled with those labeled with FG in the lateral part of the SC contralateral to the injection sites. In the stratum griseum intermediale, some of them were double-labeled with both tracers. Our results suggest that SC neurons innervating both the RFp and the cervical spinal cord may be involved in the coordination of head and mouth movements.
ISSN:0006-8993
1872-6240
DOI:10.1016/S0006-8993(98)00664-7