The projection of the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis and adjacent regions of the pontine nuclei to the central cerebellar nuclei in the cat

The cerebellar nuclear afferent and efferent connections with the lateral reticular nucleus in the cat as studied with retrograde transport of WGA-HRP

The cerebellar nuclear projection from the lateral reticular nucleus (NRL) was studied in 29 cats by means of retrograde axonal transport after implantation of the crystalline wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) complex in the cerebellar nuclei. It was confirmed that all the cerebellar nuclei receive afferent fibres from the NRL with the strongest termination in the ipsilateral interposed nuclei. In addition, these experiments give evidence of a previously unrecognized topical pattern in the projection to the interposed nuclei, arranged according to the same principle as in the projection to the immediately overlying cerebellar cortex. Thus, the anterior interposed nucleus receives fibres from all parts of the main NRL, its rostral part especially from laterally situated neurons, while subsequent more caudal parts from more medially situated neurons, while the posterior interposed nucleus receives fibres mainly from the dorsomedial part of the main NRL. The cerebellar nuclear projection to the NRL was investigated in 15 cats using retrograde transport after ventral microiontophoretical ejections of the WGA-HRP complex in the main NRL. The contralateral rostral fastigial nucleus was confirmed as the main origin of this projection, but projecting neurons were, in addition, discovered rostrally in the anterior interposed and dentate nuclei on the same side. No topical differences could be observed following ejections in different parts of the NRL; the majority of the projecting neurons were always concentrated along the ventral and lateral borders of the fastigial nucleus and in the adjacent medial part of the anterior interposed nucleus.

Interconnections between hypothalamus and cerebellum

The cerebellum and hypothalamus are interconnected through a multitude of direct (monosynaptic) and indirect (polysynaptic) pathways. Direct hypothalamocerebellar fibres are mainly uncrossed and reach all parts of the cerebellar cortex and nuclei. They are neither mossy fibres nor climbing fibres, but appear to terminate in all layers of the cerebellar cortex as multilayered fibres. At least some of the hypothalamocerebellar fibres are histaminergic, and it appears that a small proportion of the hypothalamocerebellar neurons contain GABA. Indirect hypothalamocerebellar connections may be relayed through various brain stem nuclei. The hypothalamo-ponto-cerebellar pathway, which has a contralateral predominance, appears to be the quantitatively most important of these. The direct cerebellohypothalamic projection originates from the cerebellar nuclei and terminates in the posterior hypothalamus, in the same regions where the direct hypothalamocerebellar pathway has its main origin. Indirect cerebellohypothalamic connections with brain stem relays have also been demonstrated. The functions of hypothalamocerebellar circuits are so far unknown. However, these pathways are probably involved in the coordination and integration of somatic as well as non-somatic responses to a given set of inputs.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity in neuronal elements of the cat cerebellum

Calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity (CGRP-LI) was found in many mossy fiber endings in the cat cerebellum. Some fine varicose fibers within the cerebellar nuclei also showed CGRP-LI. By injecting colchicine into the lateral ventricle of the cerebrum, CGRP-LI was further visualized in perikarya of many granule cells and some small neurons in the dentate and interpositus nuclei. Among the brainstem precerebellar nuclei, the largest number of neuronal cell bodies with CGRP-LI was found in the pontine nuclei. When a lesion was placed in the pontine brachium, mossy fiber endings with CGRP-LI reduced in number in the cerebellar hemisphere of the posterior lobe ipsilateral to the lesion. Fine varicose fibers with CGRP-LI within the dentate nucleus were also decreased in number ipsilaterally to the lesion. Thus, the majority of fiber endings with CGRP-LI in the hemisphere of the posterior lobe and the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum were assumed to originate from the contralateral pontine nuclei.

Autoradiography of mossy fiber terminals in the fastigial nucleus of the cat

Terminal boutons of mossy fiber collaterals in the fastigial nucleus originating from the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis, the bulbar reticular formation, and the medial vestibular nucleus were studied with high-resolution autoradiography in order to examine their ultrastructural features and synaptic relations. Labeled mossy fiber boutons ranged in size from 0.5 to 5 micron in diameter, and they all contained clear and spherical vesicles in an electron-lucent matrix, mitochondria, and some fine tubular elements. These boutons form asymmetric synapses with dendritic profiles of different sizes. No evidence was found for mossy fiber termination on the soma of fastigial neurons. Two types of mossy fiber terminals were distinguished on the basis of the aggregation of synaptic vesicles: one type with clustered vesicles and one type with densely packed vesicles, occurring in equal number from all sources. Furthermore, the applicability of the congruity hypothesis is confirmed for the general identification of terminals.

Cerebellar nuclear afferents--where do they originate? A re-evaluation of the projections from some lower brain stem nuclei

Cerebellar nuclear afferents from some caudal brain stem nuclei in the cat were studied by means of retrograde transport after implantation of the wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase complex in crystalline form in the cerebellar nuclei. The findings give evidence that projections to the cerebellar nuclei from certain nuclei of the reticular formation proper (e.g., from the gigantocellular reticular nucleus) are very modest, while there appears to be no or extremely few cerebellar nuclear afferents from the paramedian reticular, spinal trigeminal, gracile, cuneate and external cuneate nuclei. Previous tracer studies have given evidence that also the pontine and red nuclei send very few, if any, fibres to the cerebellar nuclei. All these brain stem regions are known to project to the cerebellar cortex. This relative lack of mossy fibre collaterals to the cerebellar nuclei is discussed with references to previous literature on the distribution of cerebellar nuclear afferents, and the problem of how the cerebellar nuclei are facilitated is considered.