Brainstem afferents to the oculomotor omnipause neurons in monkey

Abstract

To determine how saccade-related areas in the brainstem address the saccade generator, we examined the afferents to the nucleus raphe interpositus. This region contains the omnipause neurons, which are pivotal in the generation of saccades. Horseradish peroxidase injected iontophoretically into the nucleus raphe interpositus retrogradely labeled a variety of brainstem nuclei. The greatest numbers of labeled neurons were in the paramedian pontomedullary reticular formation, in the nuclei reticularis gigantocellularis, and paragigantocellularis lateralis. Labeling was more modest but consistent in the interstitial nucleus of Cajal and the adjacent mesencephalic reticular formation, the middle gray of the superior colliculi, the region dorsolateral to the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis, and the medial vestibular nucleus. A few neurons were labeled around the habenulopeduncular tract and in the medial portion of the nucleus of the fields of Forel, in the nucleus reticularis medullaris ventralis, and in the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve, the cochlear nucleus, and the superior olivary complex. The distribution and density of labeling suggest that omnipause neurons in the monkey are more intimately connected with other oculomotor structures than those in the cat. In addition, the rhombencephalic reticular afferents to the monkey omnipause neurons are more concentrated in their immediate vicinity than in the cat. The label consistently found dorsolateral to the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis may be a newly discovered link in saccade generation.