Topographic organization of the cerebello-olivary projection in the albino rat: an autoradiographic orthograde tracing study.
The topographic organization of the cerebello-olivary projection was investigated in the albino rat using an autoradiographic orthograde tracing method. The results indicate that the cerebello-olivary fibers are topographically organized and terminate primarily in the contralateral inferior olive. Only the caudoventral part of the medial cerebellar nucleus projects to the caudal part of the medial accessory olive (MAO). The anterior and posterior interpositus nuclei project mainly to the dorsal accessory olive and the rostral part of the MAO, respectively. In addition, the medial part of the posterior interpositus nucleus projects to the ventral lamella of the principal olive (PO) and the dorsomedial cell column (dmcc), and the lateral part of the anterior interpositus nucleus projects to the dmcc. The dorsolateral hump also projects to the dmcc. The lateral cerebellar (dentate) nucleus projects to the PO. The dentato-olivary projection is topographically organized. In a rostrocaudal direction, the rostral dentate projects to the caudal PO, while the caudal dentate projects to the rostral PO. The medial and lateral dentates project to the ventral and dorsal lamellae of the PO, respectively, and also the dorsal and ventral dentates project to the medial and lateral parts of the PO, respectively. A few cerebello-olivary fibers, except those arising from the medial cerebellar nucleus, terminate in the area of the ipsilateral olive symmetric to the contralateral projection.
Umetani
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D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D002529:Cerebellar Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009847:Olivary Nucleus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains