Erro E, Lanciego J L, Giménez-Amaya J M
Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra, C/Irunlarrea, S/N, Pamplona, Spain.
Exp Brain Res. 1999 Jul;127(2):162-70. doi: 10.1007/s002210050786.
The present study aimed to investigate whether the pedunculopontine projection to the thalamus overlaps with identified thalamostriatal neurons. These projections were studied using a dual tract-tracing procedure combining anterogradely transported biotinylated dextran amine (pedunculopontine projections) and retrogradely transported Fluoro-Gold (thalamostriatal projections). Overlapping thalamic territories between thalamostriatal neurons and the axon terminals arising from the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus were observed in the midline (paraventricular) and in the intralaminar (centrolateral, central medial, paracentral and parafascicular) thalamic nuclei. Other thalamic nuclei, such as the ethmoid, intermediodorsal, mediodorsal, paratenial, posteromedian, ventromedian, ventrolateral and rhomboid thalamic nuclei, displayed a lesser degree of overlap. These observations suggest the existence of presumptive contacts between thalamostriatal neurons and axons emerging from the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, therefore supporting the possible existence of feedback circuits in the rat basal ganglia in which the tegmento-thalamic projection would play a major role.
本研究旨在调查脑桥脚核至丘脑的投射是否与已确定的丘脑纹状体神经元重叠。采用双束追踪程序对这些投射进行研究，该程序结合了顺行转运的生物素化葡聚糖胺（脑桥脚核投射）和逆行转运的荧光金（丘脑纹状体投射）。在中线（室旁）和板内核（中央外侧、中央内侧、中央旁和束旁）丘脑核中观察到丘脑纹状体神经元与脑桥脚被盖核发出的轴突终末之间存在重叠的丘脑区域。其他丘脑核，如筛状核、中间背核、背内侧核、丘脑前核、后正中核、腹内侧核、腹外侧核和菱形核，重叠程度较小。这些观察结果表明丘脑纹状体神经元与脑桥脚被盖核发出的轴突之间可能存在接触，因此支持大鼠基底神经节中可能存在反馈回路，其中被盖-丘脑投射可能起主要作用。
