Summary
Motoneurones innervating the retractor bulbi muscle in the cat have been identified by retrograde labelling with horseradish peroxidase, by intracellular recording and by intracellular staining with horseradish peroxidase. Their somata are found in an accessory abducens nucleus, analogous to that described in some other species, which consists of a narrow column of cells situated in the lateral tegmental reticular field, above the superior olive and medial to the facial nerve. This column of cells extends over approximately 1.5 mm from P 5.5 to P 7. The retractor bulbi motoneurones number from 80 to 120 and have large, elongated somata which give rise to five or six major dendrites. Their axons cross the reticular formation in a dorso-medial direction to pass through the principal abducens nucleus before turning to leave the brain stem in the 6th nerve. Antidromic latencies ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 ms. Some retractor bulbi motoneurones could also be activated antidromically by stimulation of the lateral rectus muscle nerve.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Addens, J.L.: The motor nuclei and roots of the cranial and first spinal nerves of vertebrates. Zeitschr. f. Anat. u. Entwicklungsgeschichte. I. Abteil. a. Zeitschr. f. ges. Anat. 101, 307 (1933)
Bach-y-Rita, P.: Neurophysiology of eye movements. In: The control of eye movements. Bach-y-Rita, P., Collins, C. (eds.), pp. 7–45. New York: Academic Press 1971
Bach-y-Rita, P., Ito, F.: In vivo microelectrodes studies of the cat retractor bulbi fibers. Invest. Ophthalmol. 4, 338–342 (1965)
Berman, A.L.: The brain stem of the cat. A cytoarchitectonic atlas with stereotaxic coordinates, pp. 185. Madison, Milwaukee, London: The University of Wisconsin Press 1968
Cajal, S.: Histologie du systéme nerveux de l'homme et des vertébrés. Paris 1911
Crandall, W.F., Wilson, D.S., Goldberg, S.J.: Branching axons to “functionally independent” muscles in the cat oculomotor system. Soc. Neurosci. 3, 470 (1977)
Gehuchten, A. van: Recherches sur l'origine réelle et le trajet intracérébral des nerfs moteurs par la méthode de la dégénérescence wallérienne indirecte. Nevraxe. 5, 263–337 (1903)
Graham, R. C., Jr., Karnovsky, M.B.: The early stages of absorption of injected horseradish peroxidase in the proximal tubule of mouse kidney: ultrastructural cytochemistry by a new technique. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 14, 291–302 (1966)
Grant, K., Gueritaud, J.P., Horcholle-Bossavit, G., Tyć-Dumont, S.: Horizontal vestibular nystagmus. I. Identification of medial vestibular neurones. Exp. Brain Res. 26, 367–386 (1976)
Grant, K., Gueritaud, J.P., Horcholle-Bossavit, G., Tyć-Dumont, S.: Anatomical and electrophysiological identification of motoneurones supplying the retractor bulbi of the cat. Neurosci. Letters (suppl.) 1, S96 (1978)
Guegan, M., Gueritaud, J.P., Horcholle-Bossavit, G.: Localisation des motoneurones du muscle retractor bulbi par transport rétrograde de peroxydase exogéne chez le chat. C.R. Acad. Sci. [D.] (Paris) 286, 1355–1358 (1978)
Hanker, J.S., Yates, P.E., Metz, C.B., Rustioni, A.: New specific, sensitive and non-carcinogenic reagent for demonstration of horseradish peroxidase. Histochem. J. 9, 789 (1977)
Jacobson, L.: Über die Kerne des menschlichen Hirnstamms: (Medulla oblongata, Pons, und Pedunculus cerebri). Königl. Akad. Wiss. (Berlin 70) (1909)
Kappers, C.U.A., Huber, G.C., Crosby, E.C.: The comparative anatomy of the nervous system of vertebrates, including man. pp. 1845. New York: Hafner 1967
Lennerstrand, G.: Mechanical studies on the retractor bulbi muscle and its motor units in the cat. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 236, 43–55 (1974)
Lorente de Nó, R.: The interaction of the corneal reflex and vestibular nystagmus. Am. J. Physiol. CIII, 704–711 (1933)
Preziuso, L.: Sul nucleo acessorio del nervo abducente in alcuni uccelli e mammiferi. Nuovo Ercolani (1924)
Spencer, R.F., Sterling, P.: An electron microscope study of motoneurones and interneurones in the cat abducens nucleus identified by retrograde intraaxonal transport of horseradish peroxidase. J. Comp. Neurol. 176, 65–85 (1977)
Steinacker, A., Bach-y-Rita, P.: The fiber spectrum of the cat VI nerve to the lateral rectus and retractor bulbi muscles. Experentia 24, 1254–1255 (1968)
Taber, E.: The cytoarchitecture of the brainstem of the cat. I. Brain stem nuclei of cat. J. Comp. Neurol. 116, 27–69 (1961)
Terni, T.: Ricerche sul nervo obducenti ed in special modo intorno al significato del suo nucleo accessorio d'origine. Folia Neurobiol. 12, 277 (1922)
Valkenburg, C.T. van: Nucleus facialis dorsalis, nucleus trigemini posterior and nucleus trochlearis posterior. Proc. Sect. Sci. K. med. Akad. Wct. 13, 143–148 (1910)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grant, K., Guéritaud, J.P., Horcholle-Bossavit, G. et al. Anatomical and electrophysiological identification of motoneurones supplying the cat retractor bulbi muscle. Exp Brain Res 34, 541–550 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239148
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239148