Basal interstitial nucleus of the cerebellum: Cerebellar nucleus related to the flocculus

Abstract

We have shown that the monkey flocculus is not connected with any of the major, well-demarcated cerebellar nuclei. There is, however, a broadly distributed interstitial population of neurons in the white matter ventral to the cerebellar nuclei and extending into the peduncle of the flocculus; this population, previously undescribed in the monkey, has reciprocal connections with the flocculus (Langer et al., '85a,b). Several lines of evidence indicate that this collection of neurons, called the basal interstitial nucleus of the cerebellum (BIN/Cb), can justifiably be considered a nucleus. (1) Injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the flocculus always labels a group of neurons that lie immediately ventral to the well-demarcated cerebellar nuclei and extend posteromedially into the lateral margin of the nodulus and rostrolaterally around the caudal surface of the y-group, infiltrating the peduncle of the flocculus. (2) In Nissl-stained material there is a readily seen collection of neurons that are clearly distinct from the overlying cerebellar nuclei, with precisely the same distribution. These neurons have a characteristic morphology: they are intermediate-sized, chromatophilic, multipolar, and fusiform, and have rapidly tapering proximal dendrites. The cell nucleus is generally placed eccentrically in the cell body, against the plasma membrane or in one pole of the cell. The Nissl substance is usually finely granular in the center of the cell body and forms dense clumps adjacent to the cell membrane. (3) Anterograde label from injections of HRP or tritiated amino acids into the flocculus extends over the same group of neurons. In one brain with an HRP injection involving a part of the BIN/Cb there was a patchy, clustered distribution of labeled Purkinje cells extending throughout the flocculus and into the adjacent lateral parts of the simple lobule. The clusters were confined to the medial half of many of the floccular folia.