Summary
The organization of the cerebellar, vestibular and spinal inputs to the lateral and medial vestibulospinal tract (LVST and MVST) cells was studied in anaesthetized rabbits. Synaptic actions of these inputs were determined by recording postsynaptic potentials intracellularly and also unit spike discharges extracellularly from a number of LVST and MVST cells. As reported previously in cats, inhibition was evoked very frequently from the vermal cortex of the cerebellar anterior lobe and less frequently from that of the posterior lobe. However, no such inhibition was derived from the flocculus. The cerebellar inhibition was exerted upon both LVST and MVST cells, whether they received monosynaptic activation from the primary vestibular afferents (second-order) or not and whether they conducted impulses fast or slowly. However, the inhibition was frequently absent in “slow” “second-order” MVST cells. The vast majority of LVST and MVST cells received an excitatory input from the spinocerebellar afferents ascending the funiculus posterolateralis. This input was particularly prominent from the upper cervical cord. The spinal excitation thus obtained occurred in close connection with the cerebellar inhibition. Hence, it appears that the cerebellar vermis receives the spinal signals that drive LVST and MVST cells and in turn sends out inhibitory signals to adjust the reflex activity in these cells.
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Akaike, T., Fanardjian, V.V., Ito, M. et al. Cerebellar control of the vestibulospinal tract cells in rabbit. Exp Brain Res 18, 446–463 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00234131
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00234131