Summary
The pathways and terminal projections of the inferior olivary complex and the lateral reticular nucleus (LRN) to the cerebellar nuclei and cortex in the rat were studied using unilateral and bilateral injections of 35S-methionine followed by light microscope autoradiography. The cerebellar projections from unilateral olivary injections show heavy contralateral, crossed and light, ipsilateral, uncrossed projections in sagittal bands in the deep nuclei and in the molecular layer. The crossed projections occupy all cortical lobules. Bilateral olivary injections that encompassed all subdivisions of the nuclear complex on both sides demonstrated that the same pattern of sagittal zonation is preserved although in this case distributed bilaterally. Thus, the representations of ipsilateral and contralateral projections of both sides overlap precisely and banding is preserved. These data suggest that the olivocerebellar climbing fibers occupy the banded areas and that the empty strips of molecular layer between them must have climbing fibers of extra-olivary origin. It was also found that climbing fiber rosettes are present in the granular layer borne by collaterals of axons en route to the molecular layer; their distribution is not restricted to the molecular layer bands.
Unilateral injections in the LRN produced heavy, uncrossed, ipsilateral and light, crossed, contralateral projections with the crossing occurring in the cerebellum. Projections to the deep nuclei occur and the terminal arborizations in the cortex are dense fields of mossy fiber rosettes forming narrow sagittal bands restricted to the granular layer. These mossy fiber rosettes contrast sharply in their number and distribution to the climbing fiber rosettes. The data from these studies strengthen the evidence gathered from morphological and physiological studies that the entire cerebellum may be organized on a plan involving narrow sagittal strips with structural, functional and chemical significance.
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These investigations were supported in part by U.S. Public Health Service Grants NS 10536, NS 03659, and a fellowship to J.T. Brown from Training Grant NS 05591
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Chan-Palay, V., Palay, S.L., Brown, J.T. et al. Sagittal organization of olivocerebellar and reticulocerebellar projections: Autoradiographic studies with 35S-methionine. Exp Brain Res 30, 561–576 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237645
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237645