The role of medial bulbar reticular neurons in the orbital cortically induced masticatory rhythm in cats.

Single unit activity was recorded from medial bulbar reticular neurons, which responded with spike potentials to stimulation of the orbital gyrus, in immobilized cats. Neurons were found which showed rhythmical bursts corresponding to the orbital cortically-induced masticatory rhythm. Using spike-triggered averaging technique, some of these reticular neurons were suggested to be inhibitory neurons projecting to jaw closer motoneurons and to participate in the inhibitory phase of these motoneurons during the centrally generated masticatory rhythm.