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Notes: We have investigated the projection from the substantia nigra to the pontomedullary reticular formation in the rat using both retrograde and anterograde neuroanatomical tracers. Injections of a conjugate of wheatgerm agglutinin with horseradish peroxidase into the medullary or pontomedullary reticular formation resulted in the retrograde labelling of a continuous band of cells extending from the caudal half of the dorsolateral substantia nigra into the retrorubral field. Injections of the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leukoagglutinin (PHA-L) into either the dorsolateral substantia nigra or the caudally adjacent retrorubral field revealed a descending projection to the lateral medullary and pontomedullary brainstem, which terminated mainly within the lateral (parvicellular) reticular formation. The anterograde PHA-L fibre labelling ran throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the parvicellular reticular formation and extended into the caudally continuous region, the medullary dorsal and medullary ventral reticular formation, where it tapered off. Also labelled, although more lightly, were the rostral and ventrolateral regions of the nucleus of the solitary tract and the magnocellular reticular formation. Electron microscopy established that the PHA-L-labelled fibres formed synaptic contacts with nerve cell bodies and dendrites in the parvicellular reticular formation. It is suggested that one role of this nigroreticular pathway might be to connect the basal ganglia with brainstem premotor neurons that influence orofacial musculature.

Notes: The anterograde transport of Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) was combined with postembedding immunocytochemistry for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to study the topography, the synaptic organization and the neurotransmitter content of the pallidosubthalamic projection in the rat. After injections of PHA-L in different parts of the globus pallidus a rich plexus of anterogradely labelled fibres and terminals was found in the ipsilateral subthalamic nucleus. The immunoreactive elements were distributed according to a mediolateral and rostrocaudal topography. Injections of PHA-L restricted to the lateral two-thirds of the globus pallidus gave rise to a massive anterograde labelling confined to the lateral half of the subthalamic nucleus. On the other hand, injections of PHA-L strictly confined to the medial part of the globus pallidus resulted in anterograde labelling that occupied the ventromedial pole of the subthalamic nucleus. In some cases a few retrogradely labelled cells were found in the subthalamic nucleus after PHA-L injections in the globus pallidus. The perikarya and the primary dendrites of these labelled cells were sometimes surrounded by anterogradely labelled terminals suggesting a close reciprocal connection between the globus pallidus and the subthalamic nucleus. Electron microscopic analysis of the PHA-L-labelled terminals revealed that they contain many mitochondria, numerous small round or slightly pleomorphic vesicles and occasionally one or two large dense core vesicles. They form symmetrical synaptic contacts predominantly with the proximal dendrites (39%) and less frequently with the perikarya (31%) and the distal dendrites (30%) of the subthalamic cells. Quantitative measurements showed that the pallidosubthalamic varicosities have a diameter ranging from 0.7 to 4.5 μm and a mean cross-sectional area of 0.79 ± 0.26 μm2 (Mean ± SD). Postembedding immunocytochemistry for GABA revealed that the PHA-L-immunoreactive pallidosubthalamic axon terminals display GABA immunoreactivity. The results of our study demonstrate that the pallidosubthalamic projection is organized according to a mediolateral and rostrocaudal topography and that the proximal dendrites of the subthalamic cells are the major targets of the GABA-immunoreactive pallidosubthalamic terminals. This suggests that the globus pallidus exerts a powerful control over the subthalamic cells through an inhibitory GABAergic pathway.