Direct excitation of neck motoneurons by interstitiospinal fibers

Abstract

1. Responses of neck motoneurons to stimulation of the interstitial nucleus of cajal (INC) were recorded intracellularly in cats under chloralose anesthesia. When stimuli were applied within or close to the INC, short latency, monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were evoked in many neck motoneurons. Such EPSPs were not evoked by stimulating mesencephalic regions outside the INC. 2. Stimulation of the ipsilateral INC produced monosynaptic EPSPs consistently in biventer cervicis-complexus (BCC) motoneurons, while such EPSPs were observed in about two thirds of the splenius (SP) motoneurons and half of the trapezius (TR) motoneurons tested. Stimulation of the contralateral INC produced weak monosynaptic EPSPs in about half the BCC motoneurons and in a few SP and TR motoneurons. All types of motoneurons also received longer latency, apparently polysynaptic, PSPs from both INCs. In BCC and TR motoneurons these were mainly EPSPs, in SP, mixed excitatory and inhibitory PSPs. 3. Monosynaptic EPSPs evoked by INC stimulation were not eliminated by acute and chronic parasagittal and transverse lesions placed to interrupt the bifurcating axons of all vestibulospinal and many reticulospinal neurons. No significant collision was observed between EPSPs evoked by INC and vestibular or reticular stimulation. The EPSPs evoked by stimulation of the INC therefore appear to have been produced by activation of interstitiospinal neurons rather than by an axon reflex mechanism. 4. The properties of a number of interstitiospinal neurons were observed while recording extracellularly from the mesencephalon to map the location of the INC. One third of the interstitiospinal neurons activated antidromically from the C4 segment could also be activated antidromically from L1. These lumbar-projecting neurons had conduction velocities ranging from 15--123 m/s. Several interstitiospinal neurons sending axons to the ventral horn of the neck segments were identified and two of these were found to be branching neurons that projected both to the neck and to lower levels of the spinal cord.

Target motion direction influence on tracking performance and head tracking strategies in head-unrestrained conditions

“…The nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (NRG) and the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis (NRPC) contain excitatory and inhibitory burst neurons that discharge during horizontal head rotations (Peterson, Pitts, Fukushima, & Mackel, 1978). Finally, the Forel's field of H (FFH) and the interstitial nucleus of Cajal discharge during vertical head rotations (Fukushima, van der Hoeff-van Halen, & Peterson, 1978;Isa, Itouji, Nakao, & Sasaki, 1988;. Thus, as for the control of the eye movement, a synchronization of different populations of neurons is necessary to generate an oblique head movement.…”

Brain Stem Projections to the Facial Nucleus of the Rat

“…DN has also been associated with ves tibular induced eye movements [Szentago-lhai and Schab. 1956;Scheibel et al, 1961] and cervical motoneuron function [Fukushima et al, 1978] producing inhibition by relay in vestibular nuclei [Markham et al, 1966], reticular formation [Carpenlerel al., 1970] or in the spinal cord [NybergHansen, 1966].…”

Location of reticular premotor areas of a motor center innervating craniocervical muscles in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L.)

“…The results from the present study are not conclusive on this point. Fukushima et al (1978) observed that stimulation of the interstitial nucleus of Cajal result in direct excitation of neck motoneurons. However, Holstege and Cowie (1989) showed that in mammals the mesencephalic reticular formation adjacent to the interstitial nucleus of Cajal projects directly to the neck motor area in the ventral horn, but the nucleus interstitialis itself does not contribute to this projection.…”