Cortical neurons projecting to the cervical and lumbar enlargements of the spinal cord in young and adult rhesus monkeys

Cortical neurons projecting to cervical and lumbar segments of the spinal cord in five young and one adult monkeys were identified using the retrograde transport method following multiple unilateral injections of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the anterior horn at cervical and lumbar levels of the spinal cord. Somatotopically organized labeled neurons were found in the precentral and postcentral gyri, the rostral half of both the medial and dorsal aspects of area 5, the cingulate sulcus within the medial aspect of area 6, and the second somatosensory area within the lateral sulcus. All HRP-positive neurons were confined to cortical layer V or to a depth corresponding to the fifth layer in regions where delineation of cortical layers was obscured due to freezing or sectioning artifacts. Although cross-sectional areas of labeled neurons varied widely within each field, more large labeled neurons were present in the leg than in the arm subdivision of the precentral gyrus. HRP-positive neurons in the first and second somatosensory areas as well as those in the medial aspect of area 5 were of medium size, and those in the primary and supplementary motor areas as well as those within the dorsal aspect of area 5 were of medium or larger size.