Spinal projections to the lateral reticular nucleus in the rat.

The synaptic relationships and the distribution of the afferent terminals of the spinal pathway to the lateral reticular nucleus (LRN) of the rat were examined following induced degeneration. After high cervical hemisections, the spino-LRN projection was first examined with the Fink-Heimer silver impregnation method. Degeneration was confined primarily to the ipsilateral LRN and all three divisions of the nucleus were involved. Maximum degeneration was observed in the caudal regions of the parvocellular division. The magnocellular division, except for the extreme dorsomedial area, showed substantial degeneration as well. The subtrigeminal division throughout its entire length contained only sparse degeneration. Electron microscopic examination following spinal cord lesions revealed both round and pleomorphic-vesicle terminals in various stages of electron dense degeneration. The majority of the degenerating terminals were of the round-vesicle variety. Both types of terminals contacting somata were also observed to degenerate but their number was small in comparison to those on dendritic profiles. Terminals in synaptic contact with two dendritic profiles were also observed to degenerate. Some of the large terminals belonging to synaptic configurations (glomeruli) underwent degeneration and were therefore of spinal origin as well.