Monosynaptic excitatory connexions of reticulospinal neurones in the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis with dorsal neck motoneurones in the cat

Summary 1. Projections of reticulospinal neurones (RSNs) in the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis (N.r.p.c.) to dorsal neck motoneurones supplying splenius (SPL, lateral head flexor) and biventer cervicis and complexus (BCC, head elevator) muscles were studied in the cat anaesthetized with pentobarbiturate or -chloralose. 2. Threshold mapping for evoking antidromic spikes revealed that most of RSNs tested projecting down to brachial segments but not to lumbar segments (C-RSNs) gave off collaterals to the gray matter of the upper spinal cord in C2–C3 segments. 3. Spike triggered averaging showed that negative field potentials were evoked after firing of a single C-RSN (single fibre focal synaptic potentials, FSPs) in the region of C2–C3 where large antidromic field potentials from nerves supplying SPL or BCC muscles were evoked. The single fibre FSPs ranged between 1 and 10 V in amplitude and had latencies between 0.7 and 1.2 ms from the onset of the triggering spike. In most cases, a presynaptic spike preceded the negative potential by 0.3 ms. These results indicated that C-RSNs project to the SPL or BCC motor nucleus. 4. Spike triggered averaging of postsynaptic potentials revealed EPSPs (single fibre EPSPs) in 36 dorsal neck motoneurones, predominantly in SPL (25) and less in BCC (11) motoneurones, evoked from 15 C-RSNs. The amplitude of the single fibre EPSPs ranged from 5 to 310 V, and had latencies of 0.8–2.0 ms from the onset of the triggering spikes of C-RSNs, or 0.3–0.5 ms from the presynaptic spike when recorded. The results indicated monosynaptic excitatory connexions of C-RSNs to dorsal neck motoneurones. 5. Single fibre EPSPs from a C-RSN were usually recorded from either BCC or SPL motoneurones but not from both types of motoneurones, when tested in many motoneurones. This showed that connexions of C-RSNs with dorsal neck motoneurones were muscle specific. 6. RSNs projecting down to the lumbar segment (L-RSN) also showed branching in C2–C3 segments. Excitatory monosynaptic connexion of L-RSNs with neck motoneurones were demonstrated by recording single fibre postsynaptic population potentials (p.s.p.p.s.) from the C2 ventral root perfused with sucrose. The probability of evoking monosynaptic single fibre p.s.p.p.s. was less (19%) than for C-RSNs (59%).