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The pyramidal tract in rodents. A study of its relations with the posterior column nuclei, dorsolateral reticular formation of the medulla oblongata, and cervical spinal cord

Golgi and electron microscopic observations

Zeitschrift für Zellforschung und Mikroskopische Anatomie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

A study of the pyramidal tract and its synaptic relations with cells in the posterior column nuclei, dorsolateral reticular formation of the medulla oblongata, and intermediate gray region of the cervical spinal cord has been made with Golgi and electron microscopic techniques.

The cellular organization and morphology, and the fine structure and disposition of the neuropil, in the posterior column nuclei have been studied. It has been found that dendrites of cells in these nuclei appear almost completely covered by large synaptic endings which belong to terminal sensory fibers of the posterior columns. The cell bodies showed very few and small endings which in some instances could be identified with endings of the pyramidal tract.

The nature of pyramidal tract influences upon the posterior column nuclei has been discussed based on physiological and morphological data.

The relations of the ascending, recurrent pyramidal fibers, including the Henle-Pick bundle, in the dorsolateral reticular formation has been studied.

The terminal distribution and relations of the pyramidal tract in the intermediate gray region of the cervical spinal cord has been studied. Evidence has been found that dendrites of some motoneurons receive direct synaptic contacts from pyramidal tract collaterals in the spinal cord.

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Abbreviations

Al. :

Nucleus alaris (Nucleus dorsalis vagi)

B. sys. :

Basal system

C. c. :

Canalis centralis

Cn. d. :

Nucleus medullae oblongatae centralis, subnucleus dorsalis

C. p. :

Commissura posterior

C. r. :

Corpus restiforme

D. pyr. :

Decussatio pyramidum

F. l. :

Funiculus lateralis

F. l. m. :

Fasciculus longitudinalis medialis

F. p. :

Funiculus posterior

F. v. :

Funiculus ventralis

G. c. :

Substantia grisea centralis

I. g. :

Intermediate gray nucleus

L. m. :

Lemniscus medialis

mc. :

Nucleus tractus spinalis trigemini caudalis, pars magnocellularis

N. b. i. :

Internal basilar nucleus (Cajal)

N. c. e. :

Nucleus cuneatus lateralis

N. com. :

Nucleus commissuralis (Cajal)

N. com. p. :

Nucleus commissurae posterioris

N. f. c. :

Nucleus cuneatus medialis

N. f. g. :

Nucleus gracilis

N. f. p. :

Nuclei funiculi posterioris (nucleus gracilis-nucleus cuneatus medialis)

N. i. :

Nucleus intercalatus (Staderini)

N. Rol. :

Nucleus of Roller

N. r. p. :

Nucleus reticularis paramedianus (Brodal)

N. tr. sol. :

Nucleus tractus solitarii

N. V sp. c. :

Nucleus tractus spinalis trigemini caudalis

N. V sp. o. :

Nucleus tractus spinalis trigemini oralis

N. XII :

Nucleus nervi hypoglossi

Ol. i. :

Nucleus olivaris inferior

p. c. :

Nuclei funiculi posterior, pars compacta

Pyr. :

Tractus pyramidalis

R. d. :

Subnucleus reticularis dorsalis medullae oblongatae

R. gc. :

Nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis

R. pc. :

Nucleus reticularis parvocellularis

R. pc. i. :

Nucleus reticularis parvocellularis, pars interstitialis

R. v. :

Subnucleus reticularis ventralis medullae oblongatae

S. g. :

Substantia gelatinosa

Tr. sol. :

Tractus solitarius

V. d. :

Nucleus vestibularis spinalis (Roller)

V. h. :

Ventral horn

V. m. :

Nucleus vestibularis medialis (Schwalbe)

V. r. f. :

Ventral root fibers

X :

Root filaments of the vagal nerve, efferent part

z :

Nucleus tractus spinalis trigemini caudalis, pars zonalis

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The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Prof. Sanford L. Palay, Department of Anatomy, Harvard Medical School, for advice and critical reading of the manuscript. This work was carried out during the tenure of an International Postdoctoral Fellowship no. F 05-515 of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

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Valverde, F. The pyramidal tract in rodents. A study of its relations with the posterior column nuclei, dorsolateral reticular formation of the medulla oblongata, and cervical spinal cord. Z. Zellforsch. 71, 297–363 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332585

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