Summary
In rat and guinea pig, cochlear efferents to the two ears were labeled simultaneously with different fluorescent tracers. It was found that in both species only few (1–3%) olivo-cochlear neurons were double-labeled and project to both cochleae. In most periolivary regions large olivocochlear neurons (OCN) projecting to the ipsilateral and contralateral side are intermingled and form a continuous cell column between the facial nucleus and lateral lemniscus. In a second series of experiments in rat, cochlear efferents and ascending olivo-collicular neurons were labeled. Olivo-cochlear and olivo-collicular neurons are intermingled in the lateral superior olive (LSO) and in the ventromedial periolivary region. No double-labeled neurons were found that project to the cochlea and the inferior colliculus.
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Aschoff, A., Ostwald, J. Distribution of cochlear efferents and olivo-collicular neurons in the brainstem of rat and guinea pig. Exp Brain Res 71, 241–251 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00247484
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00247484