In order to determine whether neurones in the parvicellular reticular formation are in direct synaptic contact with motoneurones innervating facial muscles, a combined retrograde and anterograde transport study was carried out in the rat. Animals received injections of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B conjugated to horseradish peroxidase into facial muscles and of the anterograde tracer biocytin into the parvicellular reticular formation. The facial motor nucleus was then examined for anterograde and retrograde labelling in the light and electron microscopes. Retrogradely labelled neurones were found in the facial motor nucleus with a distribution that was dependent on the muscles injected. Terminals anterogradely labelled with biocytin from the parvicellular reticular formation was observed in the motor nucleus amongst the retrogradely labelled neurones. At the electron microscope, the retrogradely labelled cells were found to receive input from unlabelled terminals and from terminals that were anterogradely labelled from the injections of biocytin in the parvicellular reticular formation. The labelled terminals were 1-2 microns in diameter at the active zone and packed with spherical vesicles. They formed both symmetrical and asymmetrical synapses with their labelled or unlabelled targets. It is concluded that neurones in the parvicellular reticular formation form direct synaptic contact with motoneurones of facial muscles. This may represent a pathway by which the basal ganglia can directly influence orofacial movement, as the substantia nigra is known to project to that part of the reticular formation.