Organization of primary afferent projections to the gracile nucleus of the dorsal column system of primates

Abstract

In order to reveal the somatotopic organization of the gracile nucleus of the dorsal column-trigeminal complex, neuroanatomical tracers were injected subcutaneously into various parts of the hindlimb and tail of prosimian galagos, New World monkeys, and Old World monkeys. In most cases, tracers were injected bilaterally, and into more than one body part. In six cases, two different, distinguishable tracers were injected into the same hindlimb. Brainstem and spinal cord sections were processed for tracers transported by cutaneous afferents to terminations in the gracile nuclei. Foci of terminations were related to the cell-cluster architecture of the gracile nuclei in sections processed for cytochrome oxidase or stained for cell bodies (Nissl stain). In all taxa, terminations labeled by the injections were distributed in a patchy fashion along the rostrocaudal length of the ipsilateral gracile nucleus. Terminations were largely but not completely focused within the cytochrome oxidase dense cell clusters. Across taxa, afferents from the tail, foot, lower leg, and upper leg terminated in a mediolateral sequence within the gracile nucleus. Afferents from the glabrous skin of toes 1-5 terminated in a ventromedial to dorsolateral sequence in owl, squirrel, and macaque monkeys, but an altered arrangement was seen in the galagos, with a ventrolateral location for toe 1. The use of two tracers in squirrel monkeys indicated that terminations from adjacent toes formed adjacent and largely segregated patches. Terminations of afferents from the plantar pad (sole) of the foot tended to surround those from the glabrous toes.