Investigation of the connection between the substantia nigra and the medullary reticular formation in the rat.
Electrical stimulation of the rat substantia nigra (SN) has both excitatory and inhibitory effects on neurones in the medullary reticular formation (MRF). The SN does not appear to selectively influence neurones in either of the two MRF nuclei studied. Furthermore, SN stimulation does not preferentially influence nociceptive MRF neurones. Since only 1 of 75 neurons studied was antidromically activated by stimulation in the MRF, the present results do not support the suggestion that the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis and SN are reciprocally linked in a monosynaptic fashion.
D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000502:physiology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012154:Reticular Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission