Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Anatomy logoLink to Journal of Anatomy
. 1995 Apr;186(Pt 2):357–363.

A light and electron microscope study of rat abducens nucleus neurons projecting to the cerebellar flocculus.

L Rodella 1, R Rezzani 1, G Corsetti 1, C Simonetti 1, A Stacchiotti 1, R G Ventura 1
PMCID: PMC1167194  PMID: 7649835

Abstract

Injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the cerebellar flocculus of the rat was employed to identify neurons in the abducens nucleus that project to the flocculus. The number, ultrastructural features and precise localisation of these neurons in the nucleus were examined. They were present bilaterally and represented about 7% of the total neuronal population of each nucleus. They were localised principally in the dorsomedial area of the cranial half of each nucleus and did not display the typical ultrastructural features of motoneurons. It is concluded that the localisation and ultrastructural characteristics of these HRP-positive neurons are useful for distinguishing them from other neuronal populations within the nucleus.

Full text

PDF
357

Images in this article

360Fig. 2
on p.360
360Fig. 3
on p.360
360Fig. 4
on p.360
360Fig. 5
on p.360
360Fig. 6
on p.360
361Fig. 7
on p.361
362Fig. 8
on p.362

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baker R., Highstein S. M. Physiological identification of interneurons and motoneurons in the abducens nucleus. Brain Res. 1975 Jun 27;91(2):292–298. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(75)90551-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blanks R. H., Precht W., Torigoe Y. Afferent projections to the cerebellar flocculus in the pigmented rat demonstrated by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. Exp Brain Res. 1983;52(2):293–306. doi: 10.1007/BF00236639. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brodal A., Brodal P. Observations on the secondary vestibulocerebellar projections in the macaque monkey. Exp Brain Res. 1985;58(1):62–74. doi: 10.1007/BF00238954. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Büttner-Ennever J. A., Horn A. K., Schmidtke K. Cell groups of the medial longitudinal fasciculus and paramedian tracts. Rev Neurol (Paris) 1989;145(8-9):533–539. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Büttner U., Boyle R., Markert G. Cerebellar control of eye movements. Prog Brain Res. 1986;64:225–233. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(08)63417-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Glicksman M. A. Localization of motoneurons controlling the extraocular muscles of the rat. Brain Res. 1980 Apr 21;188(1):53–62. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(80)90556-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Graybiel A. M. Direct and indirect preoculomotor pathways of the brainstem: an autoradiographic study of the pontine reticular formation in the cat. J Comp Neurol. 1977 Sep 1;175(1):37–78. doi: 10.1002/cne.901750105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kotchabhakdi N., Walberg F. Cerebeller afferents from neurons in motor nuclei of cranial nerves demonstrated by retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase. Brain Res. 1977 Nov 25;137(1):158–163. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(77)91020-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Labandeira Garcia J. L., Gomez Segade L. A., Suarez Nuñez J. M. Localisation of motoneurons supplying the extra-ocular muscles of the rat using horseradish peroxidase and fluorescent double labelling. J Anat. 1983 Sep;137(Pt 2):247–261. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Langer T., Fuchs A. F., Scudder C. A., Chubb M. C. Afferents to the flocculus of the cerebellum in the rhesus macaque as revealed by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. J Comp Neurol. 1985 May 1;235(1):1–25. doi: 10.1002/cne.902350102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Langer T., Kaneko C. R., Scudder C. A., Fuchs A. F. Afferents to the abducens nucleus in the monkey and cat. J Comp Neurol. 1986 Mar 15;245(3):379–400. doi: 10.1002/cne.902450307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lisberger S. G., Fuchs A. F. Role of primate flocculus during rapid behavioral modification of vestibuloocular reflex. I. Purkinje cell activity during visually guided horizontal smooth-pursuit eye movements and passive head rotation. J Neurophysiol. 1978 May;41(3):733–763. doi: 10.1152/jn.1978.41.3.733. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mesulam M. M. Tetramethyl benzidine for horseradish peroxidase neurohistochemistry: a non-carcinogenic blue reaction product with superior sensitivity for visualizing neural afferents and efferents. J Histochem Cytochem. 1978 Feb;26(2):106–117. doi: 10.1177/26.2.24068. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rall W. Distinguishing theoretical synaptic potentials computed for different soma-dendritic distributions of synaptic input. J Neurophysiol. 1967 Sep;30(5):1138–1168. doi: 10.1152/jn.1967.30.5.1138. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rodella L., Rezzani R., Corsetti G., Stacchiotti A., Ventura R. G. The rat abducens nucleus: a histo- and immunohistochemical study. Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper. 1994 Apr;70(4):69–74. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Røste G. K., Dietrichs E. The feline oculomotor nucleus: morphological subdivisions and projection to the cerebellar cortex and nuclei. Anat Embryol (Berl) 1988;178(1):67–75. doi: 10.1007/BF00305016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Røste G. K. Non-motoneurons in the facial and motor trigeminal nuclei projecting to the cerebellar flocculus in the cat. A fluorescent double-labelling and WGA-HRP study. Exp Brain Res. 1989;75(2):295–305. doi: 10.1007/BF00247935. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Spencer R. F., Sterling P. An electron microscope study of motoneurones and interneurones in the cat abducens nucleus identified by retrograde intraaxonal transport of horseradish peroxidase. J Comp Neurol. 1977 Nov 1;176(1):65–85. doi: 10.1002/cne.901760105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Steiger H. J., Büttner-Ennever J. Relationship between motoneurons and internuclear neurons in the abducens nucleus: a double retrograde tracer study in the cat. Brain Res. 1978 Jun 9;148(1):181–188. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(78)90387-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Waespe W., Cohen B., Raphan T. Role of the flocculus and paraflocculus in optokinetic nystagmus and visual-vestibular interactions: effects of lesions. Exp Brain Res. 1983;50(1):9–33. doi: 10.1007/BF00238229. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Zee D. S., Yamazaki A., Butler P. H., Gücer G. Effects of ablation of flocculus and paraflocculus of eye movements in primate. J Neurophysiol. 1981 Oct;46(4):878–899. doi: 10.1152/jn.1981.46.4.878. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Anatomy are provided here courtesy of Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

RESOURCES