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PubMed1985

Topographic organization of substance P and monoamine cells in the ventral medulla of the cat.

A topographic map of the substance P and monoamine neurons in the ventrolateral medulla of the cat has been constructed from peroxidase anti-peroxidase immunohistochemically stained sections. The coordinates of this map use the foramen cecum of the medulla oblongata (i.e. the triangular depression at the junction between the caudal boundary of the pons and the rostral limit of the median fissure between the pyramidal tracts) as the zero point. Two distinct groups of substance P neurons have been found: a rostral group lies ventral to the facial nucleus and a caudal one is found ventrolateral to the inferior olivary nucleus. Two dopamine beta-hydroxylase-containing cell groups were identified that correspond to the A1 and A5 cell groups. The A5 cell group lies dorsal, lateral and caudal to superior olivary nucleus. The A1 cell group lies approximately 4.0-5.0 mm lateral to the midline at the level of the inferior olive; these cells lie mainly dorsolateral to the region of the magnocellular division of the lateral reticular nucleus. The B1 and B3 serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) cell groups of the ventrolateral medulla appear to form a continuous column with a rostral and a caudal swelling. The rostral group begins at the level of the facial nucleus (approximately 4 mm caudal to the foramen cecum) and is concentrated in the area just lateral to the pyramidal tract. It becomes reduced in size approximately 8.0 mm caudal to the foramen cecum, and then enlarges to form a caudal group (approximately 10 mm caudal to foramen cecum). Portions of this column overlap with the caudal substance P cell group. The C1 cell group lies in a restricted zone approximately 4.0 mm lateral to the midline at the level of the rostral part of the inferior olivary nucleus.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Individual patterns of functional reorganization in the human cerebral cortex after capsular infarction.

We have previously shown bilateral activation of motor pathways and the recruitment of additional motor areas in studies of groups of patients with recovery from motor stroke. We have now developed a new positron emission tomographic technique to measure the changes in regional cerebral blood flow elicited during a motor task in individual patients, relative to the cerebral activation found in normal subjects. The patterns of cerebral activation in each of 8 individual patients with capsular lesions of the pyramidal tract and complete recovery from hemiplegia are described by comparison with the pattern found in a representative sample of 10 normal subjects. We found a large ventral extension of the hand field of the contralateral (sensori)motor cortex in all patients with lesions of the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Greater activation than in normal subjects was found in variable combinations of the supplementary motor areas, the insula, the frontal operculum, and the parietal cortex. Structures belonging to motor pathways ipsilateral to the recovered limb were also more activated in the patients than in normal subjects. However, additional activation of the ipsilateral (sensori)motor cortex was only found in the 4 patients who exhibited associated movements of the unaffected hand when the recovered hand performed the motor task. We conclude that recovery from motor stroke due to striatocapsular damage is associated with individually different patterns of functional reorganization of the brain. These patterns are dependent on the site of the subcortical lesion and the somatotopic organization of the pyramidal tract, both of which may determine the precise potential for recovery of limb function following this type of brain injury.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Antidromic corticospinal tract potential of the brain.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel potential component (antidromic corticospinal tract potential, ACSP) of the brain after translaminar spinal stimulation of a relaxed patient during scoliosis surgery. To study the origin of this component and to compare its source to known sources of the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). METHODS: We studied 17 consecutive patients during posterior scoliosis surgery. SEPs and ACSPs were elicited by translaminar spinal stimulation at the Th 2 and L 1 levels. ACSPs and SEPs were recorded on the scalp midline. Neurogenic motor evoked potentials (NMEPs) were recorded on the popliteal spaces. Preoperative tibial SEPs were also recorded. RESULTS: ACSP was distinctly separated from the corresponding spinally evoked cortical SEP that showed longer latency than the ACSP. ACSPs decreased and disappeared when stimulation was moved to the caudal direction in the conus region while SEP persisted. In addition, the hemispheric origin of ACSP was confirmed with multichannel midline recordings of the scalp and neck. Thus there was no confusion to the response of nucleus gracilis, corresponding the P 31 response of the tibial nerve SEP. CONCLUSIONS: The origin of ACSP seemed to be in the rostral part of the corticospinal tract. ACSP diminished in the conus region when stimulation was moved caudally and it disappeared when the stimulus was given to the root level. This proves that ACSP is not a response of the somatosensory tract, instead ACSP represents antidromic response of the pyramidal tract. ACSP can be used in monitoring of the motor tracts during scoliosis surgery together with NMEPs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Changes in the discharge patterns of cat motor cortex neurones during unexpected perturbations of on-going locomotion.

1. The impulse activity of single neurones in the forelimb part of the motor cortex was recorded extracellularly in unrestrained cats during self-paced locomotion on a horizontal circular ladder. 2. Fifty-one cells (forty-nine of which discharged rhythmically in time with the step cycle) were recorded during encounters with a number of rungs that could be locked firmly in position or, alternatively, held in position by weak springs so that when stepped on they unexpectedly descended (under the weight of the animal) from 1 to 5 cm before contacting a mechanical stop. 3. In eleven cells (22%) including four fast-axon pyramidal tract neurones (PTNs), an increase in discharge occurred when the contralateral forelimb descended unexpectedly. Onset latency relative to the start of rung movement ranged from ca 20 to ca 100 ms. In eight cells latency was such that most of the response preceded contact of the rung with the stop; averaged over a number of trials the altered discharge in five of these cells (including two PTNs) represented an accurate profile of the averaged velocity of rung (and foot) descent. The three remaining cells appeared to be responding largely to the cessation of rung movement. 4. Thirty-six of the cells were also studied during unexpected descent of the ipsilateral forelimb and six (17%) displayed an increase in discharge (onset latency ca 35 to ca 80 ms); three of these were among those that also responded to contralateral descents. 5. These findings for skilled locomotion requiring a high degree of visuomotor coordination are discussed and it is concluded that the motor cortex is rapidly informed regarding unexpected perturbations delivered to the contralateral forelimb at the onset of stance and that changes are evoked in the pattern of impulse traffic descending via the pyramidal tract.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Evoked motor potentials obtained with double magnetic cortical stimulation: techniques and interpretation].

UNLABELLED: The technique of motor evoked potentials (MEP) obtained with single and double magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex in man has considerably improved over the past decade. We present the techniques and parameters involved in double magnetic stimulation for clinical purposes. METHOD: The conditioning-test design is used to study modifications in the amplitudes of the muscular responses to the "test" shock, recorded on the first dorsal interosseus muscle. Enhanced amplitudes of conditioned responses indicate facilitation, reduced response inhibition. RESULTS: The effects vary according to the shock intensity, the delay between shocks and the position of the conditioning coil. The latter may be located at the same place as the test shock (to test interneural circuitry related to pyramidal tract), on the hand area opposite the test shock (to test interhemispheric influences), or over the cerebellar area contralateral to the test side (to test the effect of cerebellar stimulations over the motor cortex). When the coils were located on the same cortical hand area there was facilitation when the intensities were both set at the threshold with an interstimulus interval (ISI) between 1 and 2.5-3 ms. At conditioning shock intensities below the threshold and the test shock 150% above, inhibition occurred at ISI 1-5 ms followed by facilitation at ISI 15-35 ms. When the intensities of both shocks were 150% above threshold, there were two clear cut individual responses at ISI above 10 ms; facilitation was recorded at ISI 15-35 ms, and inhibition between 55 and 255 ms. When the conditioning coil was located on the opposite hand area from the test shock (conditioning shock intensity supramaximal, test shock intensity above the threshold), ISI 1-5 ms facilitation occurred followed by inhibition up to ISI 30 ms. When the conditioning shock (intensity supramaximal) was located on the cerebellar area contralateral to the test side (intensity above the threshold), inhibition occurred at ISI 5 ms. CONCLUSIONS: Double magnetic stimulations delivered over the same cortical area reflect facilitatory and inhibitory influences over the pyramidal tract controlled by interneurons, i.e., these tests investigate the intrinsic circuitry of the motor strip. Double magnetic stimulations delivered on each motor area study interhemispheric influences mediated by the corpus callosum, which are facilitatory and inhibitory. Double magnetic stimulations delivered on the cerebellar area demonstrates inhibitory influences over the contralateral cerebral motor cortex.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Coherent oscillations in monkey motor cortex and hand muscle EMG show task-dependent modulation.

1. Recordings were made of local field potential (slow waves) and pyramidal tract neurone (PTN) discharge from pairs of sites separated by a horizontal distance of up to 1.5 mm in the primary motor cortex of two conscious macaque monkeys performing a precision grip task. 2. In both monkeys, the slow wave recordings showed bursts of oscillations in the 20-30 Hz range. Spectral analysis revealed that the oscillations were coherent between the two simultaneously recorded cortical sites. In the monkey from which most data were recorded, the mean frequency of peak coherence was 23.4 Hz. 3. Coherence in this frequency range was also seen between cortical slow wave recordings and rectified EMG of hand and forearm muscles active during the task, and between pairs of rectified EMGs. 4. The dynamics of the coherence were investigated by analysing short, quasi-stationary data segments aligned relative to task performance. This revealed that the 20-30 Hz coherent oscillations were present mainly during the hold phase of the precision grip task. 5. The spikes of identified PTNs were used to compile spike-triggered averages of the slow wave recordings. Oscillations were seen in 11/17 averages of the slow wave recorded on the same electrode as the triggering spike, and 11/17 averages of the slow wave recorded on the distant electrode. The mean period of these oscillations was 45.8 ms. 6. It is concluded that oscillations in the range 20-30 Hz are present in monkey motor cortex, are coherent between spatially separated cortical sites, and encompass the pyramidal tract output neurones. They are discernable in the EMG of active muscles, and show a consistent task-dependent modulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Cell death of corticospinal neurons is induced by axotomy before but not after innervation of spinal targets.

The response of corticospinal neurons to axotomy at postnatal ages from 5 days to adulthood was studied in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). Corticospinal neurons were retrogradely labeled with fluorescent rhodamine latex beads injected into the cervical or lumbar spinal cord. A unilateral lesion of the medullary pyramidal tract was made 1-2 days later and the brains fixed 1-30 days after axotomy. Comparisons of labeled axotomized corticospinal neurons with labeled normal corticospinal neurons in the contralateral cortex showed that axotomy at 14 days or later caused cell shrinkage but not cell death. Axotomy prior to 14 days caused cell death of corticospinal neurons. More neurons died the earlier the lesion was made, culminating in virtual complete cell death of corticospinal neurons following axotomy at 5 days. Axotomy at a given age did not affect all corticospinal neurons uniformly. Lumbar projection neurons underwent cell death ranging from slight to complete following axotomy at 13 and 9 days, respectively. Cervical projection neurons, in contrast, survived axotomy after a lesion at 9 days but underwent complete cell death if the lesion occurred at 5 days. Since corticospinal axons innervate the cervical cord from postnatal days 4-8 and the lumbar cord from 10-14 days (Reh and Kalil, '81; J. Comp. Neurol. 200:55-67), the ability of corticospinal neurons to survive axotomy appears to be temporally well correlated with their innervation of spinal targets. These neurons die if their axons are cut prior to target innervation but are able to survive if axotomy occurs after their axons innervate spinal targets. The results show that plasticity in the corticospinal pathway documented in previous reports cannot take the form of regrowth of severed axons, since early lesions cause extensive corticospinal cell death. Aberrant corticospinal pathways resulting from early lesions must therefore arise from undamaged axons. Additional retrograde labeling experiments showed that the opposite cortex responded to contralateral pyramidotomy by sprouting into denervated areas of the spinal cord. Thus another source of plasticity after early pyramidal tract lesions is sprouting from corticospinal axons arising from the intact cortex.

Aging↗
PubMed1975

Blindness and encephalopathy caused by Helichrysum argyrosphaerum DC. (Compositae) in sheep and cattle.

An outbreak of amaurosis and paresis was observed amongst sheep, and occasionally cattle, which had been grazing on pastures consisting mainly of Helichrysum argyrosphaerum DC. A similar syndrome was produced by feeding the suspect plant to sheep, thereby providing proof if its toxicity. Although none of the sheep became blind and only one developed paralysis, typical sponly lesions were detected in the brains and optic fasciculi of all the experimental animals. The lesion had specific predilection sites, such as the white matter around the lateral ventricles, the optic tracts plus chiasm, the pyramidal tracts and the brachium pontis. Enlargement of the optic fasciculi furthermore gave rise to malacia, papilloedema and retinal changes. Some aged sheep developed cataracts approximately 2-3 months after the initial outbreaks of amaurosis had occurred. Circumstantial and histopathological evidence suggests that the cataracts may be due to chronic Helichrysum poisoning, but this could not confirmed in the present investigation.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Patients with horizontal gaze palsy and progressive scoliosis due to ROBO3 E319K mutation have both uncrossed and crossed central nervous system pathways and perform normally on neuropsychological testing.

BACKGROUND: Horizontal gaze palsy and progressive scoliosis (HGPPS) is caused by mutations of the ROBO3 gene, which encodes a receptor associated with axonal guidance during development. Although there is evidence for uncrossed cuneatal and corticospinal tracts in HGPPS, it is unclear whether other central nervous system pathways are involved. OBJECTIVE: To study two patients with HGPPS homozygotic for the ROBO3 E319K mutation using a variety of neurophysiological and neuropsychological tests. METHODS: A battery of neuropsychological tests was applied to assess various cognitive and perceptual functions. The corticospinal, somatosensory and auditory pathways were evaluated using appropriate neurophysiological tests. To access motor pathways to the neck muscles, electromyographic recordings were obtained from the sternocleidomastoideus and splenius capitis muscle during active head rotation. RESULTS: Both patients performed normally on manual dexterity, complex sensory and visuospatial functions, reading and general intelligence tests. Motor evoked potentials in both patients showed uncrossed corticospinal tracts for the extremities, although in one patient, electromyography indicated pyramidal tract crossing for the neck muscles. Although somatosensory evoked potentials showed uncrossed somatosensory fibres subserving proprioception and light touch, right median nerve somatosensory evoked potential in one patient indicated a partial lemniscal crossing. Sympathetic skin response and blink reflex showed a midline crossing of the spinothalamic and quintothalamic tracts. Brain stem auditory evoked potentials indicated a lack of crossing in the level of the trapezoid body. CONCLUSIONS: Our patients with the ROBO3 E319Kappa mutation show normal perceptual and cognitive functions and have both crossed and uncrossed motor, sensory and auditory pathways.

Cognition↗
PubMed1998

Corticoreticular pathways in the cat. II. Discharge activity of neurons in area 4 during voluntary gait modifications.

We propose that the descending command from area 4 that is responsible, in part, for the change in limb trajectory required to step over an obstacle in one's path also plays a role in triggering the anticipatory postural modifications that accompany this movement. To test this hypothesis, we recorded the discharge characteristics of identified classes of corticofugal neurons in area 4 of the cat. Neurons were identified either as: pryamidal tract neurons (PTNs) if their axon projected to the caudal pyramidal tract (PT) but not to the pontomedullary reticular formation (PMRF); as corticoreticular neurons (CRNs) if their axon projected to the PMRF but not to the PT; and as PTN/CRNs if their axon projected to both structures. Altogether, the discharge properties of 212 corticofugal neurons (109 PTNs, 66 PTN/CRNs, and 37 CRNs) within area 4 were recorded during voluntary gait modifications. Neurons in all three classes showed increases in their discharge frequency during locomotion and included groups that increased their discharge either during the swing phase of the modified step, during the subsequent stance phase, or in the stance phase of the cycle preceding the step over the obstacle. A slightly higher percentage of CRNs (39%) discharged in the stance phase prior to the gait modification than did the PTNs or PTN/CRNs (20% and 17% respectively). In 37 electrode penetrations, we were able to record clusters of 3 or more neurons within 500 micro(m) of each other. In most cases, PTN/CRNs recorded in close proximity to PTNs had similar receptive fields and discharged in a similar, but not identical, manner during the gait modifications. Compared with adjacent PTNs, CRNs normally showed a more variable pattern of activity and frequently discharged earlier in the step cycle than did the PTNs or PTN/CRNs. We interpret the results as providing support for the original hypothesis. We suggest that the collateral branches to the PMRF from corticofugal neurons with axons that continue at least as far as the caudal PT provide a signal that could be used to trigger dynamic postural responses that are appropriately organized and scaled for the movements that are being undertaken. We suggest that the more variable and earlier discharge activity observed in CRNs might be used to modify the postural support on which the movements and the dynamic postural adjustments are superimposed.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

[An autopsy case with peculiar acidophilic bodies in the dentate nucleus and brain stem, associated with degeneration of the pyramidal-extrapyramidal systems].

Case S.S. 59 years of age, male. At the age of 25, he had admitted to sanatorium for 7 years because of pulmonary tuberculosis. After his discharge, at the age of 45, he had started complaining of depressive mood or the idea of suicide and admitted to a mental hospital. Psychiatric diagnosis was depression and slight mental retardation. Shortly after, his depressive mood was improved, but his hypochondriac attitude was unchanged. No tendency toward dementia was proven. At the age of 54, he became enable to walk. Neurologically, pyramidal and some sort of extrapyramidal signs, dysarthria, disturbance of swallowing, fecal and urinary incontinence became apparent. Laboratory data showed scarcely any abnormality. At the age of 59, he died of bronchopneumonia. Neuropathologically, moderate degeneration of dentate nucleus, slight degeneration of pyramidal tract from medulla oblongata to spinal cord, striatum, substantia nigra were found. Neither senile plaques nor neurofibrillary changes could be seen throughout central nervous system. The most important finding is the presence of peculiar acidophilic bodies. They are round or oval, 10 approximately 20 mu in diameter and distributed in dentate nucleus, oculomotor nucleus, central grey of midbrain, superior colliculus, putamen, pallidum, subthalamic nucleus, Zona incerta, hypothalamus, Locus coeruleus, reticular formation of midbrain and pons, pontine nucleus, raphe nucleus, vestibular nucleus, inferior olive in order of number of the bodies. These bodies are scattered in so-called ground substance, and have no relations to any cell bodies or cell processes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Brain Stem↗
PubMed1999

Clinical application of three-dimensional anisotropy contrast magnetic resonance axonography. Technical note.

The utility of three-dimensional anisotropy contrast (3DAC) magnetic resonance (MR) axonography, a method sensitive to neuronal fibers and their directionality, was investigated in the clinical setting using a 3-tesla MR imaging system based on a General Electric Signa platform. The study focused on healthy volunteers and patients with common structural central nervous system disorders, namely chronic infarction, brainstem cavernous hemangioma, supratentorial meningioma, and astrocytoma. Three orthogonal anisotropic diffusion-weighted images were first obtained. Three primary colors were each assigned to a diffusion-weighted image, respectively, and the images were subsequently combined into a single-color image in full-color spectrum (3DAC MR axonography image). Fiber-tract definition in the cerebral peduncle of the midbrain of healthy volunteers showed intersubject variation, with two general patterns recognized: dispersed (60% of cases) and compact (40% of cases). Pathological alterations in the fiber tracts were readily identified in cases involving wallerian degeneration of the pyramidal tract, as illustrated in the cases of chronic infarction. Displacement of major tracts, such as the medial lemniscus or corticospinal tract, as well as fiber directionality, was also easily recognized in cases of mass lesions. As an imaging method uniquely capable of providing information regarding axonal connectivity, 3DAC MR axonography appears to have promising potential for routine clinical application.

Astrocytoma↗
PubMed1991

A fractal analysis of pyramidal neurons in mammalian motor cortex.

Pyramidal neurons in the mammalian cerebral cortex can be described by a fractal dimension (Mandelbrot, 1982), which is an objective, quantitative measure of the complexity of their soma/dendritic borders. In the cat, the fractal dimensions of lamina V cells, which include pyramidal tract neurons (PTN), indicate that these cells are more complex than other pyramidal neurons (PN) in the same region of motor cortex. The lamina V cells of the cat are also more complex than those in motor cortex of the monkey. Moreover, lamina III neurons in the monkey are more complex than monkey lamina V neurons. The fractal dimension of the intracortical axon collateral arborizations of the same pyramidal neurons indicated, in all cases, that the branching of these terminals is less complex than the branching of the dendrites of the same cells. In line with the observation that the fractal dimensions of some homologous cellular populations are different in different species, it is suggested that the fractal dimension and the degree of morphological complexity may relate to the requirement for the number of separable functions to be accommodated within one neuron. For example, as the size of the cortex and the number of neurons in a region increase, the opportunity exists within a given cortical zone, for individual functions to be segregated and for functional specialization to be accommodated with less morphological complexity of the individual neurons performing each of these functions.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Corticocortical synaptic influences on morphologically identified pyramidal neurones in the motor cortex of the monkey.

1. Corticocortical synaptic influences on pyramidal neurones in the precentral motor cortex of monkeys were examined using intracellular recordings. Corticocortical afferents from the postarcuate premotor area and the somatic sensory cortical areas were activated by bifocal stimulation of the cortical surface. Neurones that were found to respond orthodromically to such stimuli were labelled by intracellular ionophoresis of horseradish peroxidase. 2. Almost all neurones that were penetrated satisfactorily and labelled successfully were found to be pyramidal neurones located in lamina III or lamina V. Some labelled neurones in lamina V were also characterized as pyramidal tract neurones (PTNs) by antidromic activation from the cerebral peduncles or medullary pyramids. 3. Pyramidal neurones located in lamina III and lamina V (including PTNs) were excited at short latency by stimulation of the premotor cortex (1.1-4.0 ms) and somatosensory cortex (1.1-6.5 ms). There were no statistical differences in the distributions of latencies of corticocortical EPSPs between those evoked in lamina III neurones and those recorded in lamina V neurones, or between corticocortical EPSPs evoked from the premotor cortex in comparison with those from the somatosensory cortex. Excitatory responses to stimulation of the premotor area were usually more difficult to evoke and smaller in amplitude than those produced by stimulation of the somatosensory areas. 4. Corticocortical EPSPs were often followed by IPSPs. The amplitudes of the EPSPs and IPSPs could be increased by increasing the stimulus intensity. In a few neurones IPSPs that were not preceded by EPSPs were recorded.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Disinhibition in cat motor cortex by ammonia.

The effect of intravenously administered ammonium salts on postsynaptic inhibition of pyramidal tract cells was investigated in cat motor cortex. Extracellular recordings revealed that pyramidally or thalamically mediated inhibition of antidromic action potentials is abolished by ammonia. Intracellular recordings demonstrated that hyperpolarizing IPSPs vanished and EPSPs appeared while the inhibitory stimuli still triggered a decrease of neuronal resistance and the resting membrane potential was unchanged. It is concluded that ammonia disinhibited action-potential generation and EPSPs by shifting E(IPSP) to the level of the resting membrane potential. With disinhibition and facilitation replacing inhibitation of action potentials, ammonia clearly disturbs those cortical functions involving postsynaptic inhibition.

Ammonia↗
PubMed2004

Diffusion-tensor imaging in septo-optic dysplasia.

One of the morphological correlates of septo-optic dysplasia is hypoplasia of the optic nerves. As of now, it remains unknown, in how far this disorder also affects the organization of the optic radiation. Using diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), the non-invasive evaluation of large fiber tracts including the optic radiation has become possible. We have compared DTI-data from a patient suffering from septo-optic dysplasia with those of a group of eleven healthy control subjects. The anisotropy showed statistically significant reduction in the patient with septo-optic dysplasia within the visual fiber tracts and an unordered eigenvector map. A comparison of the anisotropy in the pyramidal tract showed no significant difference. Since the patient was congenitally blind, it remains unclear whether the findings are the results of the underlying disorder or occur in all congenitally blind patients. One might presume, that, in order for the optic radiation to fully develop, an afferent input to the lateral geniculate body is necessarry.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The mode of cerebellar activation of neurons in the cat motor cortex: an intracellular HRP study.

Intracellular recordings and morphological identification of neurons by using intracellular HRP staining were performed in the cat motor cortex. By cerebellar stimulation, stellate cells in layers II-III, pyramidal cells in layer III and fast pyramidal tract neurons (PTNs) were activated with short latency and fast rising EPSPs, while pyramidal cells in layer II and slow PTNs showed a wide range of latency and slow rising EPSPs. This difference may be related to activation through the deep and superficial thalamocortical projections.

Animals↗