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The trochlear nerve of amphibians and its relation to proprioceptive fibers: a qualitative and quantitative HRP study

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Summary

The cells of origin of the trochlear nerve of urodeles, anurans and gymnophionans were labelled with HRP in order to compare the location and morphology of trochlear motoneurons and to find evidence for sensory fibers in the trochlear nerve of amphibians. Trochlear motoneuron perikarya were found in a ventral tegmental position predominantly on the contralateral side, but an ipsilateral cell was present in some specimens of urodeles and anurans. About 19 motoneurons were labelled inAmbystoma, about 60 motoneurons inXenopus, and a maximum of 7 cells inIchthyophis. Decussation of trochlear nerve fibers showed only inXenopus a highly variable pattern.

In urodeles, selective filling of the trochlear nerve labelled in addition to trochlear motoneurons a caudo-medial tectal group of about 20 neurons of the nucleus of the mesencephalic root of the trigeminal nerve. Gymnophionans showed also labelled cells of the mesencephalic trigeminal root in the caudal midbrain close to the trochlear nerve root. In some frogs, a few cells of the mesencephalic trigeminal root were labelled in the caudal tectum and occasionally in the velum medullare anterius.

Comparison of the numbers of trochlear nerve fibers with HRP-labelled motoneurons revealed inXenopus a proportion of 1.2:1, but of 2.7:1 inAmbystoma. However, counting both labelled motoneurons and cells of the mesencephalic trigeminal root resulted in a trochlear nerve fiber to labelled neuron proportion of 1.3:1 inAmbystoma much like inXenopus. The numbers of superior oblique muscle fibers and of trochlear nerve fibers, but not of HRP-labelled motoneurons, increased significantly with size inXenopus laevis. We suggest that increased peripheral branching of individual fibers within the trochlear nerve with size rather than differentiation of additional motoneurons takes place in growing postmetamorphicXenopus.

In contrast to other vertebrates studied so far, the trochlear nerve is a mixed nerve inAmbystoma and perhaps inIchthyophis. Whether this reflects a primitive or a derived condition is at present unclear.

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Abbreviations

ap :

alar plate

av :

nucleus anteroventralis tegmenti

bp :

basal plate

flm :

fasciculus longitudinalis medialis

ip :

nucleus interpeduncularis

is :

nucleus isthmi

it :

isthmic tegmentum

nIV :

nervus trochlearis

pd :

nucleus posterodorsalis tegmenti

pr :

nucleus pretrigeminalis

prm :

nucleus profundus mesencephali

pv :

nucleus posteroventralis tegmenti

rm :

nucleus reticularis medius

rs :

nucleus reticularis superior

si :

sulcus isthmi

t :

teclum mesencephali

tel :

telencephalon

teg :

tegmentum mesencephali

ts :

torus semicircularis

vis :

n. visceralis secundarius

III :

third cranial ventricle

IV :

fourth cranial ventricle

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

    Bernd Fritzsch & Ronald Sonntag

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  1. Bernd Fritzsch
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  2. Ronald Sonntag
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Fritzsch, B., Sonntag, R. The trochlear nerve of amphibians and its relation to proprioceptive fibers: a qualitative and quantitative HRP study. Anat Embryol 177, 105–114 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00572534

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