Summary
-
1.
Responses evoked by electrical stimulation (auditory division of the VIIIth nerve sectioned chronically) and natural stimulation of the vestibular apparatus were recorded in the anterior and posterior cerebellar vermis of cats anesthetized with Ketamine or Nembutal. Under Ketamine the functional state of the cerebellar cortex was similar to that of the decerebrate or encéphale isolé preparation.
-
2.
Vestibular-evoked responses were found bilaterally throughout the vermis (lob. I–X) and parts of pars intermedia and were, for the most part, mediated via the mossy fiber-granule cell pathway although natural stimulation occasionally evoked climbing fiber responses in Purkinje cells.
-
3.
Lesion and stimulation experiments suggested that the polysynaptic potentials recorded in the dorsal folia of the anterior and parts of posterior vermis were mediated, at least in part, by the lateral reticular nucleus. Potentials recorded in the deeper folia often had shorter latencies and were probably mediated by primary and/or secondary vestibular fibers. Studies with horseradish peroxidase (injections in lob. V and VI) supported these notions.
-
4.
An analysis of Purkinje cell responses to sinusoidal rotation and steps of angular acceleration or velocity indicated that P-cells in these regions signalled angular head velocity in the mid-frequency range. Single canal responses as well as multi-canal convergent P-cell responses were found. Purkinje cells also responded to static head displacement.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akaike, T., Fanardjian, V.V., Ito, M., Nakajima, H.: Cerebellar control of the vestibulospinal tract cells in rabbit. Exp. Brain Res. 18, 446–463 (1973)
Anderson, S., Gernandt, B.E.: Cortical projection of vestibular nerve in cat. Acta oto-laryng. (Stockh.) Suppl. 116, 10–18 (1954)
Aschoff, J.C., Cohen, B.: Changes in saccadic eye movements produced by cerebellar cortical lesions. Exp. Neurol. 32, 123–133 (1971)
Baker, R., Berthoz, A.: Is the prepositus hypoglossi nucleus the source of another vestibulo-ocular pathway? Brain Res. 86, 121–127 (1975)
Baker, R., Precht, W., Llinás, R.: Cerebellar modulatory action on the vestibulo-trochlear pathway in the cat. Exp. Brain Res. 15, 364–385 (1972a)
Baker, R., Precht, W., Llinás, R.: Mossy and climbing fiber projections of extraocular muscle afferents to the cerebellum. Brain Res. 38, 440–445 (1972b)
Berthoz, A., Llinás, R.: Afferent neck projection to the cat cerebellar cortex. Exp. Brain Res. 20, 385–401 (1974)
Blanks, R.H.I., Curthoys, I.S., Markham, C.H.: Planar relationships of the semicircular canals in the cat. Amer. J. Physiol. 223, 55–62 (1972)
Blanks, R.H.I., Precht, W.: Functional characterization of primary vestibular afferents in the frog. Exp. Brain Res. 25, 369–390 (1976)
Bloedel, J.R., Roberts, W.J.: Functional relationship among neurons of the cerebellar cortex in the absence of anesthesia. J. Neurophysiol. 32, 75–84 (1969)
Brodal, A.: The cerebellar connections of the nucleus reticularis lateralis (nucleus funiculi lateralis) in rabbit and cat. Experimental investigations. Acta psychiat. Kbh. 18, 171–233 (1943)
Brodal, A.: Vestibulocerebellar input in the cat: Anatomy. In: Progress in Brain Res. Vol. 37, Basic aspects of central vestibular mechanism (eds. A. Brodal, O. Pompeiano), pp. 315–327. Amsterdam: Elsevier 1972
Brodal, A., Hoivik, B.: Site and mode of termination of primary vestibulo-cerebellar fibres in the cat. An experimental study with silver impregnation methods. Arch. ital. Biol. 102, 1–21 (1964)
Brodal, A., Torvik, A.: Über den Ursprung der sekundären vestibulo-cerebellaren Fasern bei der Katze. Eine experimentellanatomische Studie. Arch. Psychiat. Nervenkr. 195, 550–567 (1957)
Brodal, P.: Demonstration of a somatotopically organized projection onto the paramedian lobule and the anterior lobe from the lateral reticular nucleus: and experimental study with the horseradish peroxidase method. Brain Res. 95, 221–239 (1975)
Buchtel, H.A., Iosif, G., Marchesi, G.F., Provini, L., Strata, P.: Analysis of the activity-evoked in the cerebellar cortex by stimulation of the visual pathways. Exp. Brain Res. 15, 278–288 (1972)
Clarke, P.G.H.: The organization of visual processing in the pigeon cerebellum. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 243, 267–285 (1974)
Clendenin, M., Ekerot, C.F., Oscarsson, O., Rosén, I.: The lateral reticular nucleus in the cat. I. Mossy fibre distribution in cerebellar cortex. Exp. Brain Res. 21, 473–486 (1974)
Dow, R.S.: The fibre connections of the posterior parts of the cerebellum in the cat and rat. J. comp. Neurol. 63, 527–548 (1936)
Eccles, J.C., Llinás, R., Sasaki, K.: The mossy fibre-granule cell relay of the cerebellum and its inhibitory control by Golgi cells. Exp. Brain Res. 1, 82–101 (1966a)
Eccles, J.C., Llinás, R., Sasaki, K.: The excitatory synaptic action of climbing fibres on the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 182, 268–296 (1966b)
Ferin, M., Grigorian, R.A., Strata, P.: Mossy and climbing fibre activation in the cat cerebellum by stimulation of the labyrinth. Exp. Brain Res. 12, 1–17 (1971)
Fuchs, A.F., Kornhuber, H.H.: Extraocular muscle afferents to the cerebellum of the cat. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 200, 713–722 (1969)
Fukuda, J., Highstein, S.M., Ito, M.: Cerebellar inhibitory control of the vestibulo-ocular reflex investigated in rabbit IIIrd nucleus. Exp. Brain Res. 14, 511–526 (1972)
Ghelarducci, B., Ito, M., Yagi, N.: Impulse discharges from flocculus Purkinje cells of alert rabbits during visual stimulation combined with horizontal head rotation. Brain Res. 87, 66–72 (1975)
Hellon, R.F.: The marking of electrode tip positions in nervous tissue. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 214, 12P (1971)
Ito, M., Yoshida, M.: The cerebellar-evoked monosynaptic inhibition of Deiters' neurones. Experientia (Basel) 20, 515–516 (1964)
Ito, M., Yoshida, M., Obata, K.: Monosynaptic inhibition of the intra-cerebellar nuclei induced from the cerebellar cortex. Experientia (Basel) 20, 575–576 (1964)
Kornhuber, H.H.: Motor functions of cerebellum and basal ganglia: The cerebellocortical saccadic (ballistic) clock, the cerebellonuclear hold regulator, and the basal ganglia ramp (voluntary speed smooth movement) generator. Kybernetik 8, 157–162 (1971)
Künzle, H.: Autoradiographic tracing of the cerebellar projections from the lateral reticular nucleus in the cat. Exp. Brain Res. 22, 255–266 (1975)
Ladpli, R., Brodal, A.: Experimental studies of commissural and reticular formation projections from the vestibular nuclei in the cat. Brain Res. 8, 65–96 (1968)
Larsell, O.: The Comparative Anatomy and Histology of the cerebellum from Myxinoids through Birds. The cerebellum (ed. J. Jansen). Minneapolis: Minnesota Press 1967
LaVail, J.H., LaVail, M.M.: The retrograde intraaxonal transport of horseradish peroxidase in the chick visual system: a light and electron microscopic study. J. comp. Neurol. 157, 303–358 (1974)
Llinás, R.: Motor aspects of cerebellar control. Physiologist 17, 19–46 (1974)
Llinás, R., Precht, W., Clarke, M.: Cerebellar Purkinje cell responses to physiological stimulation of the vestibular system in the frog. Exp. Brain Res. 13, 408–431 (1971)
Llinás, R., Wolfe, J.W.: Single cell responses from the cerebellum of rhesus preceding voluntary, vestibular and optokinetic saccadic eye movements. Soc. Neurosci. 2, 201 (1972)
Macadar, O., Wolfe, G.E., O'Leary, D.P., Segundo, J.P.: Response of the elasmobranch utricle to maintained spatial orientation, transitions and jitter. Exp. Brain Res. 22, 1–12 (1975)
Maekawa, K., Simpson, J.I.: Climbing fiber responses evoked in vestibulocerebellum of rabbit from visual system. J. Neurophysiol. 36, 649–666 (1973)
Mellvill-Jones, G., Milsum, J.H.: Characteristics of neural transmission from the semicircular canal to the vestibular nuclei of cats. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 209, 295–316 (1970)
Misrahy, G.A., Spradley, J.F., Berau, A.V., Garwood, U.P.: Acoustic cerebellar pathway in cats. J. Neurophysiol. 24, 159–166 (1961)
Peterson, B.W.: Distribution of neural responses to tilting within the vestibular nuclei of the cat. J. Neurophysiol. 33, 750–767 (1970)
Pompeiano, O.: Macular input to neurons of the spinoreticulocerebellar pathway. Brain Res. 95, 351–368 (1975)
Precht, W.: Cerebellar influences on eye movements. In: Basic Mechanisms of ocular Motility and their Clinical Implications (eds. G. Lennerstrand, P. Bach-y-Rita), pp. 261–280. Oxford and New York: Pergamon Press 1975
Precht, W., Llinás, R.: Functional organization of the vestibular afferents to the cerebellar cortex of frog and cat. Exp. Brain Res. 9, 30–52 (1969)
Precht, W., Simpson, J.I., Llinás, R.: Responses of Purkinje cells in rabbit nodulus and uvula to natural vestibular and visual stimuli. Pflügers Arch. (in press)
Precht, W., Volkind, R., Giretti, M.L.: On the role of the nodulus in the control of vestibulo-ocular and fastigovestibular transmission. Exp. Brain Res. Suppl. to Vol. 23, R 323 (1975)
Precht, W., Volkind, R., Maeda, M., Giretti, M.L.: Functional organization of the projection of the cerebellar nodulus to the brain stem. Neuroscience 1, 301–312 (1976)
Ron, S., Robinson, D.A.: Eye movements evoked by cerebellar stimulation in alert monkey. J. Neurophysiol. 36, 1004–1022 (1973)
Sasaki, K., Strata, P.: Responses evoked in the cerebellar cortex by stimulating mossy fibre pathways to the cerebellum. Exp. Brain Res. 3, 95–110 (1967)
Shimazu, H., Precht, W.: Tonic and kinetic responses of cat's vestibular neurons to horizontal angular acceleration. J. Neurophysiol. 28, 991–1013 (1965)
Shimazu, H., Smith, C.M.: Cerebellar and labyrinthine influences on single vestibular neurons identified by natural stimuli. J. Neurophysiol. 34, 493–508 (1971)
Shinoda, Y., Yoshida, K.: Dynamic characteristics of response to horizontal head angular acceleration in vestibuloocular pathway in the cat. J. Neurophysiol. 37, 653–673 (1974)
Shofer, R.J., Nahvi, M.J.: Firing patterns induced by sound in single units of the cerebellar cortex. Exp. Brain Res. 8, 327–345 (1969)
Snider, R.S., Stowell, A.: Receiving areas of the tactile auditory and visual systems in the cerebellum. J. Neurophysiol. 7, 331–357 (1944)
Vidal, J., Jeannerod, M., Lifschitz, W., Levitan, H., Rosenberg, J., Segundo, J. P.: Static and dynamic properties of gravity-sensitive receptors in the cat vestibular system. Kybernetik 9, 205–215 (1971)
Voogd, J.: The cerebellum of the cat. Structure and fibre connections. Assen: Van Gorcum & Comp. N.V. 1964
Wilson, V.J., Anderson, J.A., Felix, D.: Unit and field potential activity evoked in the pigeon vestibulocerebellum by stimulation of individual semicircular canals. Exp. Brain Res. 19, 142–157 (1974)
Wilson, V.J., Maeda, M., Franck, J.I.: Input from neck afferents to the cat flocculus. Brain Res. 89, 133–138 (1975)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Precht, W., Volkind, R. & Blanks, R.H.I. Functional organization of the vestibular input to the anterior and posterior cerebellar vermis of cat. Exp Brain Res 27, 143–160 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237695
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237695