The vestibular nuclei and vestibuloreticular connections in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L.). An anterograde and retrograde tracing study.

The vestibular apparatus provides information about the position and movements of the head. Craniocervical muscles position the head with respect to the upper part of the neck. Motoneurons innervating these muscles are located in the supraspinal nucleus and ventral horn of the rostral cervical cord. Premotor neurons of craniocervical muscles have been found in the medial two-thirds of the medullary reticular formation: the ventromedial part of the parvocellular reticular formation and the gigantocellular reticular formation. In the present study, projections from vestibular nuclei upon craniocervical premotor neurons were investigated using anterograde and retrograde tracers. Vestibulospinal fibers run bilaterally in the medial vestibulospinal tract and ipsilaterally in the lateral vestibulospinal tract. Vestibuloreticular projections are mainly ipsilateral, and originate from the n. vestibularis lateralis pars ventralis and pars dorsalis, and from the n. vestibularis descendens. Terminal labeling is found in the border zone between the parvocellular and gigantocellular reticular formation. These projections show that in addition to direct bilateral vestibulo-craniocervical projections an indirect vestibular pathway to craniocervical motor nuclei exists. The direct pathway probably is the neural substrate for the vestibulocollic reflex, whereas the vestibular projection upon the reticular formation might influence head orientation during various kinds of activities, such as pecking, preening and so on.