Injections Of Tritiated Leucine Research Articles

Effects of maternal and embryo characteristics on post-fertilization provisioning in fishes of the genus Gambusia

Maternal provisioning of embryos in Gambusia (Poeciliidae) entails both production of large, yolky eggs and mother-to-embryo transfer of nutrients, the latter of which is readily quantified using injection of radiolabeled nutrients. We assayed patterns of nutrient transfer in broods of 26 Gambusia geiseri and 23 Gambusia affinis females, using injection of tritiated leucine. We examined maternal and embryo characteristics affecting the instantaneous rate of transfer and characterized the pattern of transfer to individual embryos within broods. Maternal (female size and condition) and brood characteristics (mean embryo size, developmental stage, brood size) did not predict the mean level of nutrient transfer to embryos in a brood for either species. Within broods, individual provisioning of embryos was not related to developmental stage, but was related to embryo mass in G. affinis with nutrient transfer higher to larger embryos. In addition, overall within-brood variation in nutrient transfer, measured as coefficient of variation in embryo radioactivity, was higher in G. affinis than in G. geiseri.

Neuroanatomical identification of mesencephalic premotor neurons coordinating eyelid with upgaze in the monkey and man.

Except during blinks, movements of the upper eyelid are tightly coupled to vertical eye movements. The premotor source for the coordination of lid and eye movements is unknown. The present paper provides the anatomical identification of a new premotor cell group in the rostral mesencephalon of the monkey and human, which lies in close proximity to the premotor center for vertical saccades and is thought to participate in lid-eye coordination. After injections of a retrograde transsynaptic tracer (tetanus toxin fragment C or BII(b)) into the levator palpebrae (LP), the superior rectus (SR), or the inferior oblique (IO) muscle of macaque monkeys, a small circumscribed group of premotor neurons was labeled in the central gray of the rostral mesencephalon, but not after superior oblique or inferior rectus muscle injections. This group lies immediately rostral to the interstitial nucleus of Cajal and medial to the rostral interstitial nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus, each of which contain premotor neurons for vertical saccades, and was termed the M-group. Injections of tritiated leucine into the M-group led to afferent labeling primarily over LP motoneurons. In addition, label was present over the SR- and IO-motoneuron subgroups in the oculomotor nucleus and frontalis muscle motoneurons in the facial nucleus. This projection pattern of the M-group suggests a role in the coordination of the upper eyelid and eyes during upgaze. Double-labeling experiments in macaque monkeys revealed that the M-group is strongly parvalbumin immunoreactive and contains high levels of cytochrome oxidase activity. With these two histochemical markers, the homologue of the M-group was identified in the human brain as well.

Laminar organization of the substantia nigra pars reticulata in the cat

Using a semihorizontal section plane tangential to the ventral surface of the cerebral peduncle, the authors re-examined cyto-, myelo- and dendroarchitecture, acetylcholinesterase activity, afferent fibers, and efferent projection neurons of the substantia nigra pars reticulata. In the semihorizontal section plane, the substantia nigra pars reticulata was a disc-shaped nucleus and contained two to three myelinated fiber bundles running from anteromedial to posterolateral. Bands of high acetylcholinesterase activity existed parallel to the anteromedial-posterolateral direction. The Golgi silver impregnation study revealed that many nigral neurons extended their varicose dendrites anteromedially and posterolaterally. In cases with injections of wheat germ agglutinated horseradish peroxidase into the neostriatum or injections of tritiated leucine into the subthalamic nucleus, anterogradely labeled afferent fibers and axon terminals in the substantia nigra pars reticulata were organized into bands in the same anteromedial-posterolateral direction. In cases with injections of wheat germ agglutinated horseradish peroxidase into either the superior colliculus, the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus or the ventromedial nucleus of the thalamus, retrogradely labeled neurons were also clustered along the anteromedial-posterolateral direction with their dendrites extending anteromedially and posterolaterally. The present findings strongly suggest that the substantia nigra pars reticulata has a laminar organization.

Melanocortins and fast axonal transport in intact and regenerating sciatic nerve

The effect of ACTH/MSH peptides on fast axonal transport along intact or regenerating sciatic nerve was examined following injection of tritiated leucine into the rat lumbar spinal cord. The rate of fast axonal transport was not significantly changed by treatment with ACTH/MSH(4–10), the ACTH(4–9) analog ORG 2766, hypophysectomy, or adrenalectomy. Fast axonal transport was unchanged in regenerating nerves and in regenerating, ACTH(4–10)-treated nerves. However, treatment with ORG 2766 in dosages of either 1 or 10 μg/kg/day IP for seven days significantly reduced (62% and 64%, respectively) the crest height of the fast axonal transport curve of intact sciatic nerve. The results suggest that the reported peptide-induced enhancement of nerve regeneration is not due to changes in the rate of fast axonal transport.

Projections of the nucleus of the optic tract to the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis and prepositus hypoglossi nucleus in the pigmented rat as demonstrated by anterograde and retrograde transport methods

The visual pathways from the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT) to the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (NRTP) and prepositus hypoglossi nucleus (ph) were studied following injections of tritiated leucine into the NOT of pigmented rats. The cell bodies of origin of the pretectal-NRTP, NRTP-ph, and pretectal-ph projections were determined using retrograde horseradish peroxidase (HRP) technique. The pretectum projects strongly to the rostral two-thirds of the central and pericentral subdivisions of the NRTP and sends a remarkably smaller projection to the ph. Both are entirely ipsilateral. The fibers destined for the ph travel with the NOT-NRTP bundle, pass through the NRTP, traverse the medial longitudinal fasciculus, and are distributed to the rostral one-half of the ph. The retrograde HRP studies confirm these pathways. The pretectal projections to the NRTP arise from neurons in the rostromedial NOT; those to the ph are located primarily in the rostral NOT although small numbers are found within the anterior, posterior, and olivary pretectal nuclei. Of major importance is the fact that the ph injections retrogradely label neurons within the NRTP and the adjacent paramedian pontine reticular formation. This NRTP-ph projection is entirely bilateral and arises from parts of both subdivisions of the nucleus targeted by NOT afferents. Both the direct NOT-ph and indirect NOT-NRTP-ph connections provide the anatomical basis for the relay of visual (optokinetic) information to the perihypoglossal complex and, presumably, by virtue of reciprocal ph-vestibular nuclear connections, to the vestibular nuclei itself. Such pathways confirm previous physiological studies in rat and, in particular, clarify the contrasting effects of electrolytic lesions of NRTP in rat which completely abolishes optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) (Cazin et al., 1980a) vs kainic acid lesions which produce only minor effects on OKN slow velocity (Hess et al., 1988). Given these differential effects, one concludes that the critical pathway for OKN passes in relation to, but is not significantly relayed by, the neurons of the NRTP or adjacent pontine tegmentum. The present studies suggest that one such fiber system is the NOT-ph bundle. How this relatively small projection compares to other possible fiber of passage systems remains to be determined electrophysiologically.

Nucleus sagulum: Projections of a lateral tegmental area to the inferior colliculus in the cat

The nucleus sagulum, an area of the midbrain tegmentum, has been considered a component of a lateral tegmental system within the ascending auditory pathway to the thalamus. In this study, connections of the nucleus sagulum within the midbrain were investigated in adult cats. Tracing methods using anterograde and retrograde axonal transport of markers were employed. The nucleus sagulum was identified as a region of principally small neurons (261 +/- 79 micron2) at the margin of the midbrain and neighboring the nuclei of the lateral lemniscus. Injections of tritiated leucine in the nucleus sagulum labeled axons that ended in dense patches within the superficial layers of the caudal portion of the dorsal cortex of the inferior colliculus on the ipsilateral side. Retrograde experiments confirmed this connection. Other axonal projections labeled in the anterograde studies included fibers ending in the dorsomedial nucleus, the superficial layers of the dorsal cortex, and the rostral nucleus of the inferior colliculus with some bilateral distribution. Outside of the inferior colliculus, sagulum injections labeled other axons ending in the ventral intercollicular tegmentum on both sides and in a dorsal and rostral region of the contralateral nucleus sagulum that appeared contiguous with the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. The latter region included a population of larger neurons (340-540 micron2) and had different connections with the inferior colliculus. The distribution of axonal labeling after injections in the nucleus sagulum was contrasted with the distribution of projections from several neighboring areas of the lateral tegmentum, including the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. None of these areas exhibited connections with the superficial layers of the caudal cortex of the inferior colliculus, which was the major target in the inferior colliculus of the nucleus sagulum. Thus, the results indicated that the nucleus sagulum is distinguished from adjacent regions of the lateral tegmentum by its connectivity. Its association with midbrain auditory pathways is supported by these connections as well as ascending ones to the auditory thalamus.

Somatotopic reciprocal connections between the somatosensory cortex and the thalamic Po nucleus in the rat

Retrogradely labeled neurons are observed in the posterior group of the thalamus (Po) after injection of wheatgerm agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase in the rat somatosensory cortex. These neurons are organized in rods elongated rostrocaudally, defining a clear somatotopic map. Injections of tritiated leucine in the somatosensory cortex indicate that these somatotopically organized connections are reciprocal. Injections of tritiated leucine in the dorsal column nuclei label afferent fibers in a small area dorsal to Po but not in the core of the nucleus. Po does not receive direct projections of ascending somatosensory afferents. It is hypothesized that this thalamic area participates in a thalamo-cortico-thalamic loop.

Descending projections from the superior olivary complex to the cochlear nucleus of the cat.

Subdivisions of the cochlear nuclear complex give rise to a number of discrete projections to certain cell groups of the superior olivary complex and also received substantial descending projections from the periolivary nuclei. In the present study, we sought to determine by means of retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and anterograde transport of radiolabeled protein, if the periolivary nuclei give rise to discrete projections to the various subdivisions of the cochlear nuclear complex. Following medium to large injections of HRP into the cochlear nucleus, irrespective of location, labeled cells were found in all periolivary nuclei bilaterally. In every case more than 40% of the labeled cells were found in the lateral nucleus of the trapezoid body on the same side and the ventral nucleus of the trapezoid body of both sides. Other periolivary nuclei contributing more than 5% of the total number of cells in individual cases were the contralateral lateral nucleus of the trapezoid body and the ipsilateral anterolateral and dorsal periolivary nuclei. Injections of tritiated leucine into periolivary nuclei gave rise to axonal labeling to the trapezoid body and the dorsal acoustic stria, usually bilaterally, and to terminal labeling that was widely distributed within the cochlear nuclear complex. In several cases with small injections, particularly in the lateral nucleus of the trapezoid body, the projections from the periolivary nuclei to the anteroventral and dorsal cochlear nuclei connected areas described as having similar best-frequency representation. The autoradiographic data corroborated the main results from the HRP experiments and provided additional information permitting these conclusions: the projections from the periolivary nuclei to the cochlear nuclear complex are organized tonotopically, at least in part; each periolivary nucleus (and perhaps individual cells), projects widely throughout the cochlear nuclear complex; the pattern of termination of projections from different periolivary nuclei to a given region of the cochlear nuclear complex are similar, as seen in autoradiograms, and the lateral and dorsal periolivary nuclei project mainly ipsilaterally, while the medial periolivary nuclei project bilaterally with a contralateral bias. The magnitude of these projections and their widespread distribution within the cochlear nuclear complex would suggest an important role for the descending projections in the normal functioning of the cochlear nucleus.

Autoradiographic study of descending pathways from the pontine reticular formation and the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus in the rat.

Descending projections were studied in autoradiographically prepared material after injections of tritiated leucine in the pontine tegmentum of rats. Injections involving the medial pontine reticular formation resulted not only in labeling commissural fibers, the medial reticulospinal tract, and the dorsal cap of the inferior olive, but also, in two cases, in labeling a cerebellar projection that originated from a region near the midline and clearly dorsal to the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis. The labeled fibers passed ventral in the midline to the pontine gray, then laterally through the gray and into the middle cerebellar peduncle to terminate as mossy fibers primarily in the flocculus, lobulus simplex, and Crus I of the ansiform lobule. Injections involving the mesencephalic nucleus of the trigeminal nerve (Vmes), resulted in labeling of Probst's tract, which descends in the dorsolateral reticular formation. Probst's tract gave off extensive terminal branches to the lateral medullary reticular formation and weaker projections to restricted portions of the descending trigeminal nucleus, the solitary nucleus, and the hypoglossal nucleus. In one case, fibers could be traced into the dorsal horn of the upper cervical cord.

Gustatory cortex in the rat. II. Thalamocortical projections

The thalamic relay for lingual tactile, thermal, and gustatory sensibility was defined electrophysiologically in the rat. Subsequently, injections of tritiated leucine were centered in these functionally defined locations in separate series of rats. Following suitable survival periods, the brains were processed for autoradiographic tracing of axonal projections. After injections confined to the thalamic gustatory relay, labeled fibers terminated in agranular insular cortex. These results provide support for our previous experiments correlating neurophysiological localization of rat gustatory cortex and regional cytoarchitecture, and contrast with the traditional assignation of gustatory cortex to the granular insular area.

Thalamostriatal projections from the ventral anterior nucleus in the dog

Thalamostriatal projections from the ventral anterior nucleus (VA) were mapped by using autoradiographic and horseradish peroxidase techniques in the dog. Injections of tritiated leucine and proline into the lateral, central, and medial parts of VA resulted in anterograde label over the dorsolateral, midlateral, and dorsal parts of the head of the caudate nucleus, respectively. The dorsolateral and midlateral parts of the caudate contained the heaviest label. No silver grains were located over the medial or ventral parts of the caudate. Light to moderate label was located over the most dorsal part of the putamen. After injections of lectin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) into the dorsolateral or intermediate areas of the head of the caudate, retrogradely labeled cells were present in the lateral and central parts of VA, respectively. In cases with dorsolateral caudate injections, labeled cells formed a narrow dorsoventrally oriented band located in the lateral part of VA whereas in the case with a larger injection into midcaudate, large numbers of labeled neurons were scattered throughout the central area of VA. Retrogradely labeled cells were also found in the rostral part of the ventral lateral nucleus (VL). Injections of WGA-HRP into the medial part of the caudate resulted in only a few labeled cells located in the dorsomedial part of VA. Combining these data with those from other studies mapping neostriatal afferents from the cerebral cortex in the dog, it is apparent that the midlateral part of the caudate receiving input from VA also receives afferents from cortical area 6. Furthermore, the dorsolateral part of the caudate that receives input from the lateral part of VA also receives afferents from cortical area 4. These results indicate that the dorsal and lateral parts of the canine caudate nucleus may constitute important links in the transmission and integration of information related to complex motor activities.

Origin of ascending auditory projections to the nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis in the chicken

Ascending auditory projections to the nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis (MLd) were studied in white Leghorn chickens by means of unilateral injections of horseradish peroxidase into the MLd and by injections of tritiated leucine into nucleus angularis or the combined nucleus magnocellularis and nucleus laminaris. The experiments showed that nucleus angularis sends an extensive projection to the contralateral MLd and a smaller projection to the rostral pole of the ipsilateral MLd; the lagenar region contributes to these bilateral connections. Nucleus angularis also projects bilaterally to the superior olive and nucleus ventralis lemnisci lateralis and to the contralateral nucleus lemnisci lateralis pars ventralis and dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. Projections from nucleus laminaris were demonstrated to the ipsilateral superior olive, to the contralateral lemniscal nuclei and a small medial region in MLd bilaterally; the contralateral projection is much denser than the ipsilateral one. Other nuclei having ascending connections with MLd include the contralateral superior olive, the ipsilateral nucleus lemnisci lateralis pars ventralis, the contralateral nucleus ventralis lemnisci lateralis and the contralateral MLd. The ipsilateral superior olive and nucleus ventralis lemnisci lateralis also project to MLd but much more sparsely than in their contralateral projection. Although several of these findings correspond with auditory connections previously shown in the pigeon brainstem, they differ fundamentally in that we find both nucleus angularis and nucleus laminaris projecting to different areas of the MLd on both sides of the brain. In particular, our observation that the cochlear nucleus has bilateral connections with MLd demonstrates an important avian similarity with the brainstem auditory pathways of other terrestrial vertebrates.

The projections of principal cells of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body in the cat.

Previous studies suggest that the principal cells of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) give rise to the projection from MNTB to the lateral superior olivary nucleus (LSO) of the same side, where they mediate rapid inhibitory effects of contralateral sound stimulation. In the present study, we explored certain morphological features of this connection as well as several other projections of the MNTB by using anterograde and retrograde axonal tracing methods. Following injections of tritiated leucine into MNTB, labeled axons reached LSO by passing ventral to, dorsal to, and through the medial superior olivary nucleus, and gave rise to labeling around the somata and proximal dendrites of LSO fusiform cells. As measured in autoradiograms of 2 micron plastic sections, these axons had a modal diameter of 5-6 micron. Terminal labeling, tentatively attributed to principal cell axons, was also seen in the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VNLL) and the dorsomedial and ventromedial periolivary nuclei. HRP injections into the LSO and the VNLL showed that the principal cell projected to both of these nuclei and revealed a topographic arrangement of the projection to the LSO which is consistent with tonotopic maps determined electrophysiologically. Control HRP injections demonstrated that other minor projections of the MNTB arose from minor cell populations in this nucleus. The findings provide a morphological correlate of certain physiological findings and suggest a wider role for the MNTB in the ascending auditory system than previously has been supposed.

Organization of the nigrothalamocortical system in the rhesus monkey.

The nigrothalamocortical connections and their topography were analyzed by autoradiography and double or triple retrograde labeling with the fluorescent dyes Fast Blue, Diamidino Yellow, and Propidium Iodide. Injections of tritiated leucine into different parts of the substantia nigra (SN) revealed that the medial SN projects to the medial magnocellular subdivisions of the ventral anterior (VAmc) and mediodorsal (MDmc) nuclei of the thalamus while the lateral SN projects to the more lateral and more posterior part of the VAmc, and the paralaminar, parvicellular, and densocellular subdivisions of the mediodorsal nucleus (MDmf, MDpc, and MDdc). With the exception of the MDmf, terminal areas observed in the mediodorsal nucleus were in the form of scattered clusters of grains. Analysis of the thalamus in cases with fluorescent dye injections into the lateral orbital gyrus (Walker's area 11), principal sulcus (area 46), anterior bank of the arcuate gyrus (areas 8 and 45), supplementary motor area (area 6), and motor cortex (area 4) revealed topographic organization of the nigrothalamocortical projection system. The parts of the VAmc and MDmc which receive afferents from the medial part of the SN in turn project to the most anterior regions of the frontal lobe including principal sulcus and orbital cortex. The lateral posterior VAmc, MDmf, MDpc, and MDdc, all of which receive afferents from the lateral part of the SN; project to more posterior regions of the frontal lobe including, in addition to the principal sulcus, the frontal eye field and also areas of the premotor cortex. These findings indicate that the SN has preferential targets in the thalamus and cerebral cortex which are segregated from those of the globus pallidus and cerebellum. Whereas the motor cortex is the primary target of cerebellar output (Asanuma et al., '83b), and the premotor cortex is the target of pallidal output (Schell and Strick, '84), the SN output appears to be directed more anteriorally--to the prefrontal cortex.

An indwelling cannula system for the primate eye

An indwelling cannula system was designed as an instrument for chronic drug infusion into the vitreous cavity and tested in the cynomolgus monkey eye with repeated injections or continuous infusion using a pumping device. The cannula was passed through the pars plana and its tip situated in the vitreous cavity close to the macular area. Clinical observations up to 18 months did not reveal any adverse effects due to implantation. Histopathological observations from 1 week to 18 months after surgery revealed tissue proliferation around the cannula was minimal and localized only at the wound site, where proliferative tissue originated from the episclera and ciliary epithelium. Retina and choroid at the posterior pole showed normal morphology. Light microscopic autoradiograms demonstrated the function of this system. Injections of tritiated leucine through the cannula resulted in narrow bands of radioactive labelling of the photoreceptor outer segments corresponding to each injection. In contrast, chronic delivery using the pumping device resulted in a diffuse and wide band of labelling. These results strongly suggest that this system did not adversely affect the eye and that repeated intravitreal injections or chronic drug delivery into the vitreous are feasible using this system. Furthermore, autoradiographic results suggest that the drugs infused into the vitreous cavity spread readily into the retina.

The efferent connections of the nuclei of the descending trigeminal tract in the mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos L.)

The efferent and intranuclear connections of the nuclei of the descending trigeminal tract of the mallard have been studied with lesion methods, and by axonal transport techniques following injections of tritiated leucine, and of horseradish peroxidase. The large subnucleus oralis neurons, including those belonging to the nucleus of the ascending glossopharyngeal tract, have proven to be the sole origin of trigeminocerebellar connections. The cerebellar afferents are of the mossy fiber type, and terminate predominantly in lobules V, VI and VII, and possibly, lobule IV. Trigeminocerebellar projections are ipsilateral except for the vermal area. Subnucleus interpolaris is the main source of intratrigeminal fibers that terminate in subnucleus oralis and the ventral part of the main sensory nucleus. These intranuclear connections are bilateral, but the medium-celled caudal part of subnucleus interpolaris in particular contains the majority of bi- and/or contralaterally projecting neurons. Additionally, the small cells in the rostral part of subnucleus interpolaris project ipsilaterally upon the parabrachial region, and upon the lateral reticular formation. Projections upon the parabrachial region furthermore emanate bilaterally from layer I of the rostral subnucleus caudalis. A minor part of layer I neurons sends its axons contralaterally along with those of the dorsal column nuclei toward the thalamic nucleus dorsolateralis posterior. Associated with the medial lemniscus, contralateral termination is also present in the lateral part of the ventral lamella of oliva caudalis, in the marginal zone of nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis, pars dorsalis and immediately surrounding intercollicular grey and, finally, in the nucleus intercalatus thalami. Furthermore, a bilaterally descending projection from subnucleus caudalis upon layers I and II of the rostral cervical cord was observed. Close to their origin subnucleus caudalis neurons project upon the adjoining caudal part of the lateral reticular formation.

The projection from the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb in the salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum.

Odor quality may be represented as a "topographic" code of responses of receptor cells throughout the olfactory epithelium, with this code conveyed to the central nervous system by a topographic projection from the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb. There is good evidence for topographic differences in odor-induced receptor cell activity in the tiger salamander but there is no evidence for a topographic epithelium-to-bulb projection in this species. In the present study 3H-leucine autoradiography was used to trace the projections of olfactory receptor neurons in the tiger salamander. Thirteen animals received small injections of tritiated leucine into different regions of the dorsal or the ventral olfactory epithelium, or into the ventrolateral, "vomeronasal organ". The results show that the anterior-to-posterior axes in the dorsal and ventral epithelia are represented along the ventral-to-dorsal axis in the rostral end of the olfactory bulb. The "vomeronasal organ" projects to the caudal end of the bulb. We conclude that the central projection of the olfactory epithelium in the tiger salamander is topographically organised only along the antero-posterior axis and not the medio-lateral axis. Thus epithelial receptor cell activity along the anteroposterior axis would be represented in the glomerular layer of the bulb by activity along its ventro-dorsal axis.

The mossy fiber projection of the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis to the flocculus and adjacent ventral paraflocculus in the cat

The pontine projection of the flocculus and adjacent ventral paraflocculus was investigated with antegrade and retrograde axonal tracer techniques. Injections of horseradish peroxidase into the floccular complex revealed subsets of labeled neurons in the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis, the nucleus raphe pontis and the medial lemniscus. Following injections of tritiated leucine in these subsets, the topographical distribution of labeled mossy fibers in the floccular complex was studied. Cells clustered in the central part of the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis project to the rostral flocculus and the rostral part of the caudal flocculus. The terminal field of cells in the nucleus raphe pontis and of cells associated with the lateral aspect of the medial lemniscus covered the same area. The number of mossy fiber terminals arising from these cells is small and concentrated in a medial position. The medial extension of the ventral paraflocculus and its most caudal sublobule do receive a very dense mossy fiber projection from cells associated with the medial edge of the medial lemniscus next to the rostral nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis and beyond. Concomitantly, a collateral projection terminates in a restricted part of the uvula. Labeled mossy fiber terminals were never observed in the nodulus. The nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis does not project to any part of the lower brain stem. The connections described in this paper are discussed in relation to the possible role of the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis as a relay nucleus in brain stem pathways transmitting visual information. It is concluded that in the cat this nucleus is an exclusively pre-cerebellar relay, not involved as a final link in the non-cerebellar pathway transmitting visual information to the vestibular nuclei.

Detailed organization of cerebello-olivary projections in the cat. An autoradiographic study.

Several small injections of tritiated leucine were placed in regions of the cerebellar nuclei and sites of distribution in the olive were revealed by autoradiography. Different survival periods from a few hours to several days were utilized and high or low specific activity tracers were evaluated. A general pattern of distribution whereby the dentate, anterior and posterior interposed respectively project to principal, dorsal accessory and medial accessory olives was confirmed. Several new details of distributions from regions of the interposed and dentate nuclei to parts of the olivary subdivisions were demonstrated. The pattern of representations is complex and distributed in three dimensions. It is very precise and approximates a point to point representation. However, these projections which appear relatively dense do not represent the only link between the cerebellar nuclei and olive. With survival periods of a few hours, additional lighter projections distributed according to a different pattern can be revealed. A small ipsilateral projection was observed and it is suggested that it is made of collaterals of the crossed fibers.

Corticostriate projections from reciprocally connected sectors of areas 4 and 5 in the dog

Injections of tritiated leucine were made into area 4 on the medial part of the posterior sigmoid gyrus and area 5 on the rostral part of the lateral gyrus. Both areas were found to project to each other as well as to an overlapping area in the caudate nucleus. These data suggest that areas 4 and 5 in the dog may relate to each other not only through direct reciprocal connections but also through overlapping projections to the neostriatum.