Modulation of rhythmic function in the posterior midbrain.

Recordings of single unit activity in the posterior midbrain of the cat were carried out in the "fictive spontaneous locomotion" preparation. Neuronal activity was studied in relation to the onset, alternation and termination of cyclic hindlimb neurographic activity in the precollicular-postmammillary transected animal. Histochemical identification of pedunculopontine (nicotinamide adenine dinuceotide phosphate-diaphorase positive) neurons allowed the localization of recording sites in relation to this nucleus. Neurons located in the area of the cuneiform nucleus dorsal to the pedunculopontine nucleus were found to be related preferentially to cyclic (bursting) neurographic activity, while neurons in the area of the pedunculopontine were found to be related preferentially to the onset ("on") or termination ("off") of cycling episodes. Different populations of cells in the area appeared to be related to the frequency of alternation (bursting) compared with the duration of the cyclic episodes (on/off). While the area of the cuneiform-pedunculopontine nucleus has been found to be equivalent to the mesencephalic locomotor region, the same area has been found to be related to other rhythmic activities (e.g. respiratory, masticatory, sleep cycle, pressor, vesico-motor, etc.). A hypothesis is proposed to account for the weight of evidence implicating the same region in a host of distinct rhythmic activities. This hypothesis suggest that an oscillatory reverberation between cholinergic (pedunculopontine, laterodorsal tegmental nuclei) and aminergic (locus coeruleus, substantia nigra) centers is responsible for generating the various function-related "frequencies" (bursting) or "states" (on/off) of activity.