Localisation of motoneurons supplying the extra-ocular muscles of the rat using horseradish peroxidase and fluorescent double labelling.

This paper describes a qualitative and quantitative investigation into the location of the motoneurons innervating the extra-ocular muscles of the rat. Injections of horseradish peroxidase, bisbenzimide, propidium iodide and DAPI-primuline were made either in one or simultaneously in two muscles. Unlike those of the cat, rabbit and monkey, the motoneurons which make up the oculomotor nucleus of the rat are not arranged in spatially separate subgroups belonging each to its corresponding extra-ocular muscle, but instead allow a high degree of superposition among the motor pools which they compose. The motoneurons innervating the lateral rectus and inferior oblique muscles are all homolateral; those of the medial and inferior rectus muscles are mainly homolateral with a few contralateral exceptions; and those of the superior rectus, levator palpebrae and superior oblique muscles are mainly contralateral with a small minority of homolateral exceptions. As well as from the main motor pools with which they are associated, the medial rectus, inferior rectus, superior rectus, levator palpebrae, superior oblique and lateral rectus muscles all receive innervation from motoneurons lying among the fibres of the fasciculus longitudinalis medialis. All these observations are supported by quantitative data.