Mapping the oculomotor system: the power of transneuronal labelling with rabies virus

Eur J Neurosci. 2002 May;15(9):1557-62. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.01994.x.

Abstract

Neuronal networks underlying and related to horizontal eye movements were visualized by retrograde transneuronal tracing with rabies virus from the left medial rectus muscle in guinea pigs. Time-sequenced labelling revealed distinct circuitries involved in particular oculomotor functions, i.e. vestibulo-ocular reflex and saccade generation (brainstem circuitry), adaptive plasticity (cerebellar modules) and possibly motivation and navigation (limbic, hippocampal and cortical structures). Our results provide a first comprehensive road map of the oculomotor system that is unsurpassed by any previous tracing study. We report a number of unexpected findings that illustrate a much vaster and more complicated network for the control of the relatively simple horizontal eye movements than had been envisioned previously.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Axonal Transport / physiology
  • Brain / cytology*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Brain Mapping / methods*
  • Eye Movements / physiology*
  • Guinea Pigs
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Nerve Net / cytology*
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Nerve Net / virology
  • Neural Pathways / cytology*
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Neural Pathways / virology
  • Neurons / cytology*
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Neurons / virology
  • Oculomotor Muscles / innervation*
  • Oculomotor Muscles / physiology
  • Oculomotor Muscles / virology
  • Rabies virus / metabolism*
  • Synapses / physiology
  • Synapses / ultrastructure
  • Synapses / virology
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology