Nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis: a bridge between the basal ganglia and cerebellum for movement control.

Neural processing in the basal ganglia is critical for normal movement. Diseases of the basal ganglia, such as Parkinson's disease, produce a variety of movement disorders including akinesia and bradykinesia. Many believe that the basal ganglia influence movement via thalamic projections to motor areas of the cerebral cortex and through projections to the cerebellum, which also projects to the motor cortex via the thalamus.

Consensus paper: current views on the role of cerebellar interpositus nucleus in movement control and emotion.

In the present paper, we examine the role of the cerebellar interpositus nucleus (IN) in motor and non-motor domains. Recent findings are considered, and we share the following conclusions: IN as part of the olivo-cortico-nuclear microcircuit is involved in providing powerful timing signals important in coordinating limb movements; IN could participate in the timing and performance of ongoing conditioned responses rather than the generation and/or initiation of such responses; IN is involved in the control of reflexive and voluntary movements in a task- and effector system-dependent fashion, including hand movements and associated upper limb adjustments, for quick effective actions; IN develops internal models for dynamic interactions of the motor system with the external environment for anticipatory control of movement; and IN plays a significant role in the modulation of autonomic and emotional functions.

Functional relations of cerebellar modules of the cat.

The cerebellum consists of parasagittal zones that define fundamental modules of neural processing. Each zone receives input from a distinct subdivision of the inferior olive (IO)-activity in one olivary subdivision will affect activity in one cerebellar module. To define functions of the cerebellar modules, we inactivated specific olivary subdivisions in six male cats with a glutamate receptor blocker.

Pathways for control of face and neck musculature by the basal ganglia and cerebellum.

The basal ganglia are believed to influence movement via thalamo-cortical projections. However, the basal ganglia may also affect brainstem areas involved in movement control such as the red nucleus. The red nucleus receives input from the cerebellum and projects to motor neurons and premotor neurons in the contralateral brainstem and spinal cord.

Influence of cross-linked hyaluronic acid hydrogels on neurite outgrowth and recovery from spinal cord injury.

Object: Therapies that use bioactive materials as replacement extracellular matrices may hold the potential to mitigate the inhibition of regeneration observed after central nervous system trauma. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan ubiquitous in all tissues, was investigated as a potential neural tissue engineering matrix.

Methods: Chick dorsal root ganglia were cultured in 3D hydrogel matrices composed of cross-linked thiol-modified HA or fibrin.

Activation of climbing fibers.

Cells in the inferior olive are the sole source of climbing fibers to the cerebellum. In this article, we review some of the discharge properties of olivary cells that are important for understanding its functional role in cerebellar processing. It is generally believed that climbing fiber input supplies the cerebellum with information related to movement errors in order to improve motor performance.

Discharge of inferior olive cells during reaching errors and perturbations.

It is widely believed that inferior olive (IO) neurons signal the occurrence of movement errors. The IO compares descending motor commands with information about movement and detects mismatches. Presumably, this error signal is used by the cerebellum to improve motor performance.

Inhibitory control of olivary discharge.

The inferior olivary nucleus is the sole source of an entire afferent system to the cerebellum, the climbing-fiber system. Inferior olivary neurons are very sensitive to the appropriate sensory stimuli, such as light contact to the paw. Yet, when animals move about, olivary cells show little change in discharge rate.

Spinal projections of the cat parvicellular red nucleus.

Traditionally, the red nucleus of the cat is divided into two parts: a large-celled, magnocellular, division (RNm) and a small-celled, parvicellular, division (RNp). The RNm projects to the spinal cord and receives input from the cerebellar interpositus nucleus. The RNp projects to the inferior olive and receives input from the cerebellar dentate nucleus.