Vestibular nuclear complex in cattle: Topography, morphology, cytoarchitecture and lumbo-sacral projections

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annamaria Grandis ◽  
Cristiano Bombardi ◽  
Beatrice Travostini ◽  
Arcangelo Gentile ◽  
Monica Joechler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Vestibular Nuclei ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Fluorescent Tracer ◽  
Minimum Diameter ◽  
Nuclear Complex ◽  
Dorsal Portion ◽  
Vestibular Nuclear Complex ◽  
Intermediate Size

The topography and the main characteristics of the vestibular nuclear complex (VNC) in cattle have been studied in serially transversally cut Nissl and Gles-stained sections. By using computerized image analysis software, the cell size, the maximum and minimum diameter of the neurons of each vestibular nucleus were obtained. These parameters were statistically analyzed by comparing the cell population from different nuclei and different parts of each nucleus. Furthermore, in order to investigate the lumbo-sacral projections, the fluorescent tracer Fast Blue was injected into the L6-S1 spinal cord of three calves. Among the vestibular nuclei, the superior was the least extensive rostro-caudally, the medial was the most extensive and contained the smallest cells, the lateral showed the largest neurons, and the descending nucleus contained cells of intermediate size which decreased in a rostrocaudal direction. Concerning the lumbo-sacral projections of the bovine VNC, the present study showed that only the fibers coming from the lateral vestibular nucleus reached the L6-S1 spinal cord. The labelled neurons were most heavily concentrated in the dorsal portion of this nucleus, but scattered neurons were also observed throughout the entire extension of the nucleus. The differences between the descriptions of cattle and other species were described.

The subdivisions of the guinea pig vestibular complex revealed by acetylcholinesterase staining

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-81
Author(s):  
Laurence Ris ◽  
Sven Saussez ◽  
Nicolaas Gerrits ◽  
Emile Godaux ◽  
Roland Pochet
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Vestibular Nuclei ◽  
Medial Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Cresyl Violet ◽  
Nuclear Complex ◽  
Cresyl Violet Staining ◽  
Vestibular Nuclear Complex ◽  
Acetylcholinesterase Staining ◽  
Vestibular Complex

A detailed map of the vestibular nuclear complex of the guinea pig has been established by Gstoettner and Burian (1987), using cytoarchitectonic (cresyl violet staining) and fiberarchitectonic criteria. However, the exact borders between the different subdivisions are not always evident in Nissl stained sections. In the present study, serial sections of the vestibular nuclei of the guinea pig were stained to visualize acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and compared with corresponding sections stained with cresyl violet. All of the subdivisions of the vestibular nuclear complex previously described are more readily distinguished in AChE than in Nissl preparations. The AChE reactivity also shows that the medial vestibular nucleus extends more rostrally than previously described. Furthermore, it questions whether the area classically referred to as the rostral pole of the descending vestibular nucleus belongs to the descending vestibular nucleus or to the lateral vestibular nucleus (LV). Finally, a morphometric analysis performed on cresyl violet stained sections shows that (1) in the caudal LV, the neurons of the ventromedial extension are smaller than those of the dorsolateral extension and that (2) in the rostral LV, the ventromedial division contains a larger ratio of smaller neurons than the dorsolateral one.

Inputs from regularly and irregularly discharging vestibular nerve afferents to secondary neurons in squirrel monkey vestibular nuclei. III. Correlation with vestibulospinal and vestibuloocular output pathways

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Boyle ◽  
J. M. Goldberg ◽  
S. M. Highstein
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Transition Zone ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Vestibular Nuclei ◽  
Vestibular Nerve ◽  
Descending Pathways ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Antidromic Stimulation ◽  
Vestibulospinal Tract ◽  
Irregular Afferents

1. A previous study measured the relative contributions made by regularly and irregularly discharging afferents to the monosynaptic vestibular nerve (Vi) input of individual secondary neurons located in and around the superior vestibular nucleus of barbiturate-anesthetized squirrel monkeys. Here, the analysis is extended to more caudal regions of the vestibular nuclei, which are a major source of both vestibuloocular and vestibulospinal pathways. As in the previous study, antidromic stimulation techniques are used to classify secondary neurons as oculomotor or spinal projecting. In addition, spinal-projecting neurons are distinguished by their descending pathways, their termination levels in the spinal cord, and their collateral projections to the IIIrd nucleus. 2. Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were recorded intracellularly from secondary neurons as shocks of increasing strength were applied to Vi. Shocks were normalized in terms of the threshold (T) required to evoke field potentials in the vestibular nuclei. As shown previously, the relative contribution of irregular afferents to the total monosynaptic Vi input of each secondary neuron can be expressed as a %I index, the ratio (x100) of the relative sizes of the EPSPs evoked by shocks of 4 x T and 16 x T. 3. Antidromic stimulation was used to type secondary neurons as 1) medial vestibulospinal tract (MVST) cells projecting to spinal segments C1 or C6; 2) lateral vestibulospinal tract (LVST) cells projecting to C1, C6; or L1; 3) vestibulooculo-collic (VOC) cells projecting both to the IIIrd nucleus and by way of the MVST to C1 or C6; and 4) vestibuloocular (VOR) neurons projecting to the IIIrd nucleus but not to the spinal cord. Most of the neurons were located in the lateral vestibular nucleus (LV), including its dorsal (dLV) and ventral (vLV) divisions, and adjacent parts of the medial (MV) and descending nuclei (DV). Cells receiving quite different proportions of their direct inputs from regular and irregular afferents were intermingled in all regions explored. 4. LVST neurons are restricted to LV and DV and show a somatotopic organization. Those destined for the cervical and thoracic cord come from vLV, from a transition zone between vLV and DV, and to a lesser extent from dLV. Lumbar-projecting neurons are located more dorsally in dLV and more caudally in DV. MVST neurons reside in MV and in the vLV-DV transition zone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Direct and Indirect Thalamic Afferents Arising from the Vestibular Nuclear Complex of Rats: Medial and Spinal Vestibular Nuclei

1997 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiyoshi DOI ◽  
Makoto SEKI ◽  
Yoshiharu KURODA ◽  
Nobutaka OKAMURA ◽  
Hisao ITO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular Nuclei ◽  
Nuclear Complex ◽  
Vestibular Nuclear Complex

Inputs from regularly and irregularly discharging vestibular nerve afferents to secondary neurons in the vestibular nuclei of the squirrel monkey. II. Correlation with output pathways of secondary neurons

1987 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Highstein ◽  
J. M. Goldberg ◽  
A. K. Moschovakis ◽  
C. Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Preceding Paper ◽  
Vestibular Nuclei ◽  
Vestibular Nerve ◽  
Antidromic Activation ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Postsynaptic Potentials ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Vestibular Nerve Afferents

1. Intracellular recordings were made from secondary neurons in the vestibular nuclei of barbiturate-anesthetized squirrel monkeys. Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) evoked by stimulation of the ipsilateral vestibular nerve (Vi) were measured. An electrophysiological paradigm, described in the preceding paper (26), was used to determine the proportion of irregularly (I) and regularly (R) discharging Vi afferents making direct connections with individual secondary neurons. The results were expressed as a % I index, an estimate for each neuron of the percentage of the total Vi monosynaptic input that was derived from I afferents. The secondary neurons were also classified as I, R, or M cells, depending on whether they received their direct Vi inputs predominantly from I or R afferents or else from a mixture (M) of both kinds of Vi fibers. The neurons were located in the superior vestibular nucleus (SVN) or in the rostral parts of the medical or lateral (LVN) vestibular nuclei. 2. Antidromic activation or reconstruction of axonal trajectories after intrasomatic injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used to identify three classes of secondary neurons in terms of their output pathways: 1) cerebellar-projecting (Fl) cells innervating the flocculus (n = 26); 2) rostrally projecting (Oc) cells whose axons ascended toward the oculomotor (IIIrd) nucleus (n = 27); and 3) caudally projecting (Sp) cells with axons descending toward the spinal cord (n = 13). Two additional neurons, out of 21 tested, could be antidromically activated both from the level of the IIIrd nucleus and from the spinal cord. 3. The Vi inputs to the various classes of relay neurons differed. As a class, Oc neurons received the most regular inputs. Sp neurons had more irregular inputs. Fl neurons were heterogeneous with similar numbers of R, M, and I neurons. The mean values (+/- SD) of the % I index for the Oc, Fl, and Sp neurons were 34.7 +/- 24.7, 51.9 +/- 30.4, and 61.8 +/- 18.0%, respectively. Only the Oc neurons had a % I index that was similar to the proportion of I afferents (34%) in the vestibular nerve (cf. Ref. 26). 4. The commissural inputs from the contralateral vestibular nerve (Vc) also differed for the three projection classes. Commissural inhibition was most common in Fl cells: 22/25 (88%) of the neurons had Vc inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) and 1/25 (4%) had a Vc EPSP. In contrast, Vc inputs were only observed in approximately half the Oc and Sp neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Subcortical contributions to head movements in macaques. II. Connections of a medial pontomedullary head-movement region

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 2665-2682 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Cowie ◽  
M. K. Smith ◽  
D. L. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Reticular Formation ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Ventral Horn ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Interstitial Nucleus Of Cajal ◽  
Nuclear Complex ◽  
Upper Cervical ◽  
Vestibular Nuclear Complex ◽  
Reticular Nuclei

1. In the companion article, a variety of head movements were elicited by stimulation in, and adjacent to, the gigantocellular reticular nucleus (Cowie and Robinson 1994). We refer to this area, caudal to the abducens nucleus, as the gigantocellular head movement region. In the present paper, the anatomical connections of this region, as determined by injections of wheat-germ agglutinin conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP), are reported. The majority of efferent and afferent connections were with areas related to head movements. 2. Efferent fibers from the region projected via two paths to the caudal medulla and upper cervical spinal cord. Labeled fibers descended in the anterolateral funiculus of the ipsilateral spinal cord to terminate in lateral parts of the ventral horn. A second pathway descended bilaterally in the medial longitudinal fasciculus to the anterior funiculi and medial portions of the ventral gray. These efferents paralleled the head-movement topography demonstrated physiologically. Other projections included efferents to the interstitial nucleus of Cajal, caudal field H of Forel, paramedian pontine reticular formation, and caudal vestibular nuclei. Other efferent fibers projected to the trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossal nuclei, as well as to the parvocellular reticular field, which contains interneurons for these motor groups. However, no efferent or afferent labeling involved the ocular motor nuclei. 3. Afferents to the gigantocellular head movement region arose mainly from head-movement areas. In all animals, labeled cells were found in the intermediate and deep layers of the caudal superior colliculus. Labeled neurons also were found in the caudal field H of Forel, interstitial nucleus of Cajal, pontine medial tegmentum including the pontine paramedian reticular formation, nucleus subcoeruleus, and vestibular nuclear complex. Caudally, filled cells were located in the parvocellular, magnocellular, dorsal, and ventral reticular nuclei, the supraspinal nucleus, and the upper cervical ventral horn. 4. In one animal, the ipsilateral frontal cortex contained retrogradely labeled neurons. These cells were found in layer V of cortical areas 4 and 6. Other afferent cells were found consistently in the periventricular and periaqueductal gray matter. 5. A control injection into the caudal vestibular nuclear complex showed projections to the gigantocellular reticular formation and labeled cells in the vestibular and parvocellular reticular nuclei. These observations show that the connections of the gigantocellular region are not typical of all head movement sites. 6. These data indicate that the gigantocellular head-movement region has the requisite efferent and afferent connections to function in the subcortical control of head, but not eye, movements.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Effect of Spinal Cord Transection on Spontaneous Activity Recorded from Type I Neurons of the Medial Vestibular Nucleus in Compensated Hemilabyrinthectomized Gerbils

1985 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Clegg ◽  
Adrian A. Perachio
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Vestibular Nuclei ◽  
Spinal Cord Transection ◽  
Medial Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Type I ◽  
Intact Side ◽  
Injured Side

Spontaneous activity was recorded from type I neurons of the medial vestibular nuclei (MVN) in unanesthetized, decerebrate gerbils to determine the effect of spinal cord transection on compensation following labyrinthectomy. Immediately after labyrinthectomy there was an increase in activity of type I neurons on the intact side and an absence of activity on the injured side. Following compensation from labyrinthectomy, the distribution and activity rates approximated those of nonlabyrinthectomized animals. Spinal cord transection resulted in an increase in activity in type I MVN neurons contralateral to the labyrinthectomy in compensated animals and bilaterally in nonlabyrinthectomized animals. These results illustrate that type I neurons apparently are under an indirect inhibitory control from both the contralateral labyrinth and the spinal cord. In compensated animals spinal cord inhibition exists only on the intact side. This suggests that the symmetry in type I activity bilaterally in the compensated animal is in part the result of asymmetric spinal cord input.

scholarly journals Convergence of linear acceleration and yaw rotation signals on non-eye movement neurons in the vestibular nucleus of macaques

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn D. Newlands ◽  
Ben Abbatematteo ◽  
Min Wei ◽  
Laurel H. Carney ◽  
Hongge Luan
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Linear Acceleration ◽  
Vestibular Nuclei ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Angular Rotation ◽  
Sensory Signals ◽  
Nonlinear Integration

Roughly half of all vestibular nucleus neurons without eye movement sensitivity respond to both angular rotation and linear acceleration. Linear acceleration signals arise from otolith organs, and rotation signals arise from semicircular canals. In the vestibular nerve, these signals are carried by different afferents. Vestibular nucleus neurons represent the first point of convergence for these distinct sensory signals. This study systematically evaluated how rotational and translational signals interact in single neurons in the vestibular nuclei: multisensory integration at the first opportunity for convergence between these two independent vestibular sensory signals. Single-unit recordings were made from the vestibular nuclei of awake macaques during yaw rotation, translation in the horizontal plane, and combinations of rotation and translation at different frequencies. The overall response magnitude of the combined translation and rotation was generally less than the sum of the magnitudes in responses to the stimuli applied independently. However, we found that under conditions in which the peaks of the rotational and translational responses were coincident these signals were approximately additive. With presentation of rotation and translation at different frequencies, rotation was attenuated more than translation, regardless of which was at a higher frequency. These data suggest a nonlinear interaction between these two sensory modalities in the vestibular nuclei, in which coincident peak responses are proportionally stronger than other, off-peak interactions. These results are similar to those reported for other forms of multisensory integration, such as audio-visual integration in the superior colliculus. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to systematically explore the interaction of rotational and translational signals in the vestibular nuclei through independent manipulation. The results of this study demonstrate nonlinear integration leading to maximum response amplitude when the timing and direction of peak rotational and translational responses are coincident.

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