Properties of mesencephalic reticulospinal neurons in the cat.

Neurons that project to the spinal cord were located in the mesencephalic reticular formation outside the interstitial nucleus of Cajal in cerebellectomized cats under chloralose anesthesia. Of these neurons 40% responded only at C1 (reticulospinal N cells) and the remaining 60% responded at C4 also (reticulospinal D cells). Conduction velocities of N cells were significantly slower than those of D cells. N cells and D cells responded similarly to stimulation of the whole vestibular nerves and vestibular nuclei. However, they differ in semi-circular canal inputs; N cells were more responsive to canal stimulation. Comparison of properties between mesencephalic reticulospinal and interstitiospinal neurons (Fukushima et al. 1980) showed that many reticulospinal and interstitiospinal neurons have similar properties, suggesting that functionally similar neurons may be found distributed over more than one anatomically defined cell group.