Summary
Mapping of cells at the origin of the rubrospinal tract was conducted in the cat.
-
1.
Rubrospinal neurons sending efferents to cervico-thoracic segments of the spinal cord are located in the dorso-medial part of the nucleus. These neurons are especially medial in the caudal planes and especially dorsal in the rostral planes. Neurons with efferents terminating at the level of lumbo-sacral segments of the cord occupy the ventro-lateral part of the nucleus. These neurons are especially lateral in the caudal planes and especially ventral in the rostral planes. The limit between these two cell populations is clear in the caudal and middle thirds of the nucleus but considerable overlap is seen in the rostral third. These results agree with the anatomical findings of Pompeiano and Brodal (1957).
-
2.
For the population of lumbar neurons the conduction velocities ranged from 31 m/sec to more than 120 m/sec with a mean of 85 m/sec.
-
3.
Rubrospinal cells are found throughout the nucleus. The most caudal planes are essentially composed of cells with rapidly conducting fibers whereas in the middle and rostral planes a cell population with increasingly slower conducting fibers appears.
The results of the present study are discussed in relation to classical data on the magnocellular and parvocellular divisions of the red nucleus.
2.The third author acknowledge the personal support of the Medical Research Council of Canada.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, M.E.: Cerebellar and cerebral inputs to physiologically identified efferent cell groups in the red nucleus of the cat. Brain Res. 30, 49–66 (1971).
Brock, L.G., Coombs, J.S., Eccles, J.C.: Intracellular recording from antidromically activated motoneurones. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 122, 429–461 (1953).
Brodal, A., Gogstad, A.C.: Rubro-cerebellar connections. An experimental study in the cat. Anat. Rec. 118, 455–486 (1954).
Burke, R., Lundberg, A., Weight, F.: Spinal border cell origin of the ventral spinocerebellar tract. Exp. Brain Res. 12, 283–294 (1971).
Coombs, J.S., Curtis, D.R., Eccles, J.C.: The interpretation of spike potentials of motoneurones. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 139, 198–231 (1957).
Courville, J.: Rubrobulbar fibers to the facial nucleus and the lateral reticular nucleus (nucleus of the lateral funiculus). An experimental study in the cat with silver impregnation methods. Brain Res. 1, 317–337 (1966).
Davenport, H.A., Ranson, S.W.: The red nucleus and adjacent cell groups. A topographic study in the cat and in the rabbit. Arch. Neurol. Psychiat. (Chic.) 24, 257–266 (1930).
De Lange, S.J.: The red nucleus in reptiles. Proc. Roy. Acad. (Amsterdam) 14, 1082–1090 (1912).
Grofová, I., Marsala, J.: Form and structure of the nucleus ruber in man. Morfologie 8, 215–237 (1960).
Hinman, A., Carpenter, M.B.: Efferent fiber projections of the red nucleus in the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 113, 61–82 (1959).
Larochelle, L.P., Bedard, P., Poirier, L.J.: Identification of descending tegmental fascicules of rubral and perirubral origin in the monkey. Anat. Rec. 163, 216 (1969).
Massion, J.: The mammalian red nucleus. Physiol. Rev. 47, 383–436 (1967).
Nyberg-Hansen, R., Brodal, A.: Sites and mode of termination of rubrospinal fibres in the cat. J. Anat. (Lond.) 98, 235–253 (1964).
Poirier, L.J., Bouvier, G.: The red nucleus and its efferent nervous pathways in the monkey. J. comp. Neurol. 128, 223–244 (1966).
Pompeiano, O., Brodal, A.: Experimental demonstration of a somatotopical origin of rubrospinal fibres in the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 108, 225–252 (1957).
Rinvik, E., Walberg, F.: Demonstration of somato-topically arranged Corticorubral projections in the cat. An experimental study with silver methods. J. comp. Neurol. 120, 393–408 (1963).
Stotler, W.A.: An experimental study of the origin of the afferent fibers of the inferior olivary nucleus of the cat brain. Anat. Rec. 118, 359 (1954).
Tsukahara, N., Toyama, K., Kosaka, K.: Electrical activity of red nucleus neurones investigated with intracellular microelectrodes. Exp. Brain Res. 4, 18–33 (1967).
Verhaart, W.J.C.: A comparison between the corpus striatum and the red nucleus as subcortical centra of the cerebral motor system. Psychiat. neurol. Bl. (Amst.) 42, 676–737 (1938).
—: The rubro-spinal tract in the cat, the monkey and the ape; its location and fibre content. Mschr. Psychiat. Neurol. 129, 487–500 (1955).
Walberg, F.: Descending connections to the inferior olive. An experimental study in the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 104, 77–173 (1956).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
1. The authors are grateful to Dr. J. Massion for his advice and assistance during the course of these experiments, and to R. Haour, R. Massarino and P. Quilici for their technical assistance.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Padel, Y., Armand, J. & Smith, A.M. Topography of rubrospinal units in the cat. Exp Brain Res 14, 363–371 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235033
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235033