Siegel J M
Brain Res. 1979 Jul;180(1):69-105. doi: 10.1016/0165-0173(79)90017-1.
Studies of the behavioral correlates of activity in reticular formation cells, usually performed in restrained animals, have found units whose discharge relates to sensory stimuli, pain and escape behavior, conditioning and habituation, arousal, complex motivational states, REM sleep, eye movements, respiration and locomotion. Units with these different behavioral correlates were found in the same anatomical areas. Most studies report that a large proportion of encountered cells related to the behavior being studied. If one adds up the reported percentages, the total far exceeds 100%. Therefore it appears that many investigators are looking at the same cells and reaching very different conclusions about their behavioral roles. On the basis of observations in unrestrained cats, it is hypothesized that discharge in most RF cells is primarily related to the excitation of small groups of muscles. This hypothesis can parsimoniously explain many previous observations on the behavioral correlates of these cells, and is consistent with anatomical, physiological and phylogenetic studies of the reticular formation. The hypothesized simplicity of reticular formation unit function is contrasted with the complexity of the behavioral functions mediated by the RF, and the implications of this contrast discussed.
对网状结构细胞活动的行为相关性的研究，通常在受约束的动物身上进行，发现了一些神经元，其放电与感觉刺激、疼痛和逃避行为、条件反射和习惯化、觉醒、复杂的动机状态、快速眼动睡眠、眼球运动、呼吸和运动有关。在相同的解剖区域发现了具有这些不同行为相关性的神经元。大多数研究报告称，所遇到的细胞中有很大一部分与正在研究的行为有关。如果将报告的百分比相加，总数远远超过100%。因此，似乎许多研究人员观察的是相同的细胞，但对它们的行为作用却得出了非常不同的结论。基于对不受约束的猫的观察，有人提出假设，大多数网状结构细胞的放电主要与小群肌肉的兴奋有关。这一假设可以简洁地解释以前关于这些细胞行为相关性的许多观察结果，并且与网状结构的解剖学、生理学和系统发育研究一致。网状结构单元功能假设的简单性与网状结构介导的行为功能的复杂性形成对比，并讨论了这种对比的意义。
