Crossing axons in the third nerve nucleus.

The research presented in this paper studied the pathway taken by the crossed fibers of the third nerve nucleus in an animal whose nucleus has been well mapped and found to correlate well with higher mammals and man. Autoradiography using tritiated amino acid labeled the cell bodies an axons of the left side of the oculomotor nucleus of the cat. Axons so labeled could be seen emerging from the ventral portion of the left nucleus through the median longitudinal fasciculus (mlf) to join the left oculomotor nerve. Labeled axons were also seen to emerge from the medial border of the caudal left nucleus, cross the midline, and pass through the right nucleus and the right mlf to join the right oculomotor nerve. These latter axons must be the crossed axons of the superior rectus and levator palpebrae subnuclei. Since the path of these crossed axons is through the caudal portion of the nucleus of the opposite side, the destruction of one lateral half of the oculomotor nucleus would result in a bilateral palsy of the crossed subnuclei. Bilateral palsy of the superior rectus and bilateral assymetrical palsy of the levator palpebrae muscles would result.