An ipsilateral vestibulo-thalamic tract in the medial lemniscus

Zwergal, Andreas; Brandt, Thomas; Strupp, M.

doi:10.1055/s-0028-1086587

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…The overlap zone of lesions as drawn from thin‐slice MRI images was located at the medial edge of the medial lemniscus and could be followed from the level of the superior vestibular nucleus to the midbrain. The finding of purely vestibulo‐perceptive dysfunction is highly suggestive of a primary uncrossed ipsilateral vestibulo‐thalamic tract that bypasses the ocularmotor nuclei, reaching probably the posterolateral thalamus via the same route as the medial lemniscus 23 . The posterolateral thalamus has been shown to be the target of bilateral vestibular projections in primates 11,24,25 and humans (lesion and PET studies) 9,26 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The projections almost certainly contain otolithic signals. Although these fibers, called functionally the IVTT, 23 have not been systematically followed rostrally into the thalamus, a thalamic connection is highly likely from a clinical standpoint. In 14 patients with anteromedial pontomesencephalic infarction, an ipsilateral deviation of the SVV was observed without ocular motor signs of dysfunction 23 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although these fibers, called functionally the IVTT, 23 have not been systematically followed rostrally into the thalamus, a thalamic connection is highly likely from a clinical standpoint. In 14 patients with anteromedial pontomesencephalic infarction, an ipsilateral deviation of the SVV was observed without ocular motor signs of dysfunction 23 . The overlap zone of lesions as drawn from thin‐slice MRI images was located at the medial edge of the medial lemniscus and could be followed from the level of the superior vestibular nucleus to the midbrain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 14 patients with anteromedial pontomesencephalic infarction, an ipsilateral deviation of the SVV was observed without ocular motor signs of dysfunction. 23 The overlap zone of lesions as drawn from thin-slice MRI images was located at the medial edge of the medial lemniscus and could be followed from the level of the superior vestibular nucleus to the midbrain. The finding of purely vestibulo-perceptive dysfunction is highly suggestive of a primary uncrossed ipsilateral vestibulo-thalamic tract that bypasses the ocularmotor nuclei, reaching probably the posterolateral thalamus via the same route as the medial lemniscus.…”

Section: The Ipsilateral Vestibulo-thalamic Tractmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The finding of purely vestibulo-perceptive dysfunction is highly suggestive of a primary uncrossed ipsilateral vestibulo-thalamic tract that bypasses the ocularmotor nuclei, reaching probably the posterolateral thalamus via the same route as the medial lemniscus. 23 The posterolateral thalamus has been shown to be the target of bilateral vestibular projections in primates 11,24,25 and humans (lesion and PET studies). 9,26 In the squirrel monkey vestibularsensitive neurons were found in the posterolateral thalamus, which were activated with a latency of about 4 msec by electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral vestibular nucleus.…”

Section: The Ipsilateral Vestibulo-thalamic Tractmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parallel Ascending Vestibular Pathways

Zwergal

Strupp

Brandt

et al. 2009

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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Information from the vestibular nuclei ascending through the brainstem to the oculomotor and trochlear nuclei (NIII, NIV), the interstitial nucleus of Cajal (INC), the pretectum, or thalamus, is thought to be distributed in at least five different pathways. They include the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), the ascending tract of Deiters (ATD), possibly the brachium conjuctivum (BC), the crossing ventral tegmental tracts (CVTT), and a recently observed ipsilateral pathway close to the medial lemniscus, possibly the equivalent of the ipsilateral vestibulo-thalamic tract (IVTT). This short review describes the location of these ascending tracts, their function with respect to ocular motor control and perception, and their clinical relevance. There is evidence that the MLF carries mainly information from the canals to NIII, NIV, INC, and possibly the thalamus, whereas otolith signals may ascend in the CVTT, along with excitatory anterior canal connections. The evidence for BC as a specific vestibulo-oculomotor pathway is weak and could be the result of the initial observations of CVTT. The ATD carries mostly ipsilateral otolithic information to the medial and inferior recti subgroups in NIII and the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. In the rostral pons an ipsilateral vestibular pathway was seen lying close to the medial lemniscus. This anatomical projection could be the equivalent of the IVTT, bypassing the ocular motor centers and projecting to the thalamus. The IVTT mediates perception of verticality and may be part of a fast three-neuron vestibulo-thalamo-cortical pathway, which provides the multisensory cortical system for spatial orientation and self-motion-perception with information about head acceleration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%