Collateralization of the cervical corticospinal tract in the rat.

Anterograde staining with Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) revealed the spinal arborization pattern of corticospinal tract (CST) fibers in the cervical enlargement of the rat. Within the confines of the pyramidal tract local nets of small fibers are present in addition to the rather large CST fibers with varicosities. CST termination is primarily located in lamina IV and extends into lamina V and VI. Extensive collateralization of CST axons was found interconnecting neurons located both in different horizontal laminae and in subsequent spinal cord segments. This complex pattern of CST collateralization is suggested to add a coordinative role in motor control to this tract both through serial axo-dendritic contacts in the spinal gray and through axo-axonal contacts in the white as well as the gray matter.