a comparative neuroanatomical study of the red nucleus of the cat, macaque and human比较神经解剖学的研究红细胞核的猫,猕猴和人类.pdfVIP

A Comparative Neuroanatomical Study of the Red Nucleus of the Cat, Macaque and Human 1 2 Satoru Onodera *, T. Philip Hicks 1 Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan, 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Abstract Background: The human red nucleus (Nr) is comparatively less well-studied than that of cats or monkeys. Given the functional importance of reticular and midbrain structures in control of movement and locomotion as well as from an evolutionary perspective, we investigated the nature and extent of any differences in Nr projections to the olivary complex in quadrupedal and bipedal species. Using neuroanatomical tract-tracing techniques we developed a ‘‘neural sheet’’ hypothesis allowing us to propose how rubro-olivary relations differ among the three species. Methods and Findings: Wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase staining supports findings that the cat’s nucleus accessories medialis of Bechtrew (NB) projects mainly to the lateral bend of the principal olive. We clarified boundaries among nucleus of Darkschewitsch (ND), NB and parvicellular red nucleus (pNr) of the cat’s neural sheet. The macaque’s ND- medial accessory olivary projection is rostro-caudally organized and the dorsomedial and ventrolateral parts of the macaque’s pNr may project to the principal olive’s rostral and caudal dorsal lamella; in cat it projects as well to pNr. Myelin- and Nissl-stained sections show that a well-developed dorsomedial part of the human Nr consists of densely packed cells, deriving small myelinated fibers that continue into the medial central tegmental tract.