The teleostean torus longitudinalis: a short review on its structure, histochemistry, connectivity, possible function and phylogeny.

The older idea that the torus longitudinalis (TL) is part of the ascending cerebellotectal circuitry involved in control of eye movements is at odds with facts on the histological, hodological and physiological level. Instead of an input from the valvula cerebelli, the TL and the cerebellum both receive a collateral mossy fiber input from the same source (nucleus lateralis valvulae, dorsal tegmental nucleus). The new hodological information is more consistent with fine histological and physiological data and suggests that the TL is a link in premotor circuitry descending from telencephalon to brain stem.