Projections from lateral reticular nucleus neurons to trigeminal motor nucleus revealed by antidromic activation in rabbits.
In anesthetized rabbits, electrophysiological experiments were conducted to determine if neurons of the lateral reticular nucleus that modified their activity during masticatory movements project directly into the trigeminal motor nucleus. Of the 125 neurons tested, 50 responded to stimulation of the trigeminal motor nucleus; of these, 22 were antidromically excited. Among this last population, 9 were antidromically driven also by cerebellar stimulation. In these neurons the antidromic response evoked from one structure collided with the response antidromically evoked from the other, thus indicating that both potentials are from the same neuron projecting to the trigeminal motor nucleus and the cerebellum. The remaining 28 neurons responding to stimulation of the trigeminal motor nucleus were orthodromically activated with a wider range of latencies. The possible significance of these findings in the organization of the rhythmic masticatory movements is briefly discussed.
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000166:cytology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D014278:Trigeminal Nuclei / Q000166:cytology*