Identification of brainstem interneurons projecting to the trigeminal motor nucleus and adjacent structures in the rabbit

Neurons of several nuclei within the medial pontomedullar reticular formation are active during mastication, but their relationship with other elements of the pattern generating circuits have never been clearly defined. In this paper, we have studied the connection of this area with the trigeminal motor nucleus and with pools of last-order interneurons of the lateral brainstem. Retrograde tracing techniques were used in combination with immunohistochemistry to define populations of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. Injections of tracer into the Vth motor nucleus marked neurons in several trigeminal nuclei including the ipsilateral mesencephalic nucleus, the contralateral Vth motor nucleus, the dorsal cap of the main sensory nucleus and the rostral divisions of the spinal nucleus bilaterally. Many last-order interneurons formed a bilateral lateral band running caudally from Regio h (the zone surrounding the Vth motor nucleus), through the parvocellular reticular formation and Vth spinal caudal nucleus. Injections of tracer into Regio h, an area rich in last-order interneurons, marked, in addition to the areas listed above, a large number of neurons in the medial reticular formation bilaterally. The major difference between injection sites was that most neurons projecting to the Vth motor nucleus were located laterally, whereas most of those projecting to Regio h were found medially. Both populations contained glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons intermingled. Our results indicate that neurons of the medial reticular formation that are active during mastication influence Vth motoneurons output via relays in Regio h and other adjacent nuclei.