Afferent Connections of the Nuclei Reticularis Pontis Oralis and Caudalis: a Horseradish Peroxidase Study in the Rat

The afferent connections of the nuclei reticularis pontis oralis and caudalis were studied experimentally in the rat by the aid of either free horseradish peroxidase or horseradish peroxidase conjugated with wheat germ agglutinin used as retrograde tracers. The results suggest that the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis receives its main input from the zona incerta and field H1 of Forel, the superior colliculus, the central gray substance, and the mesencephalic and magnocellular pontomedullary districts of the reticular formation. Many other structures seem to represent modest additional sources of projections to the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis; these structures include numerous cortical territories, the nucleus basalis, the central amygdaloid nucleus, hypothalamic districts, the anterior pretectal nucleus, the substantia nigra, the cuneiform, the accessory oculomotor and the deep cerebellar nuclei, trigeminal, parabrachial and vestibular sensory cell groups, the nuclei raphe dorsalis and magnus, the locus coeruleus, the dorsolateral tegmental nucleus, and the spinal cord. While the afferentation of the rostral portion of the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis appears to conform to the general pattern outlined above, some deviations from that pattern emerge when the innervation of the caudal district of the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis is considered; the most striking of these differences is the fact that both spinal and cerebellar inputs seem to distribute much more heavily to the referred caudal district than to the remaining magnocellular pontine reticular formation. The present results may contribute to the elucidation of the anatomical substrate of the functionally demonstrated involvement of the nuclei reticularis pontis oralis and caudalis in several domains that include the regulation of the sleep-waking cycle and cortical arousal, somatic motor mechanisms and nociceptive behavior.