The ventrolateral upper cervical cell group in cat projects to all rostrocaudal levels of the periaqueductal gray matter.

The lateral ventral horn of the upper cervical (C(1-3vl)) cord in rat, cat and monkey contains many cells that project to the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). Until now it was assumed that these cells only project to the ventrolateral part of the caudal PAG. Because the ventrolateral caudal PAG is involved in quiescence and hypotension, it was hypothesized that the C(1-3vl)-PAG projecting cells play a role in immobility behavior, possibly activated by neck muscle afferents.

Infralimbic cortex projects to all parts of the pontine and medullary lateral tegmental field in cat.

The infralimbic cortex (ILc) in cat is the ventralmost part of the anterior cingulate gyrus. The ILc, together with the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and lateral hypothalamus, is involved in the regulation of fear behavior. The latter three structures are thought to take part in triggering the fear response by means of their projections to the pontine and medullary lateral tegmental field (LTF).

Neurons in the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) lateral lumbosacral spinal cord project to the central part of the lateral periaqueductal gray matter.

In order to micturate successfully, information from the bladder has to be conveyed to the brainstem. In most experimental animals, this information is relayed, via the lumbosacral spinal cord, to the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). Although the rat is the most used experimental animal in neurourological research, urodynamic studies show that guinea pig may be a better small experimental animal because its urodynamic profile is, in contrast to that of a rat, similar to that of humans.

Periparabigeminal and adjoining mesencephalic tegmental field projections to the dorsolateral periaqueductal grey in cat - a possible role for oculomotor input in the defensive system.

The dorsolateral column of the mesencephalic periaqueductal grey (PAGdl) differs from its adjacent columns in terms of afferent and efferent connections and the distribution pattern of different histochemical substances. Functionally, PAGdl is associated with aversive and defensive behaviours, but in an earlier study of this laboratory [E.M.

Segmental and laminar organization of the spinothalamic neurons in cat: evidence for at least five separate clusters.

The spinothalamic tract (STT), well known for its role in the relay of information about noxe, temperature, and crude touch, is usually associated with projections from lamina I, but spinothalamic neurons in other laminae have also been reported. In cat, no complete overview exists of the precise location and number of spinal cells that project to the thalamus. In the present study the laminar distribution of retrogradely labeled cells in all spinal segments (C1-Coc2) was investigated after large WGA-HRP injections in the thalamus.

Two parts of the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi project to two different subdivisions of the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray in cat.

The dorsolateral column of the mesencephalic periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a separate part of the PAG. Its afferent sources, efferent targets, and neurochemical properties differ from the adjacent PAG columns. The dorsolateral PAG is thought to be associated with aversive behaviors, but it is not yet understood how these behaviors are brought about.

Neurons in the lateral sacral cord of the cat project to periaqueductal grey, but not to thalamus.

Previous work of our laboratory has shown that neurons in the lateral sacral cord in cat project heavily to the periaqueductal grey (PAG), in all likelihood conveying information from bladder and genital organs. In humans this information usually does not reach consciousness, which raises the question of whether the lateral sacral cell group projects to the thalamus. After wheatgerm agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) injections into the sacral cord, anterogradely labelled fibers were found in the thalamus, specifically in the ventral anterior and ventral lateral nuclei, the medial and intralaminar nuclei, the lateral ventrobasal complex/ventroposterior lateral nucleus, and the nucleus centre median, lateral to the fasciculus retroflexus.

C1-C3 spinal cord projections to periaqueductal gray and thalamus: a quantitative retrograde tracing study in cat.

By far, the strongest spinal cord projections to periaqueductal gray (PAG) and thalamus originate from the upper three cervical segments, but their precise organization and function are not known. In the present study in cat, tracer injections in PAG or in thalamus resulted in more than 2400 labeled cells, mainly contralaterally, in the first three cervical segments (C1-C3), in a 1:4 series of sections, excluding cells in the dorsal column and lateral cervical nuclei. These cells represent about 30% of all neurons in the entire spinal cord projecting to PAG and about 45% of all spinothalamic neurons.

Lateral cervical nucleus projections to periaqueductal gray matter in cat.

The midbrain periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) integrates the basic responses necessary for survival of individuals and species. Examples are defense behaviors such as fight, flight, and freezing, but also sexual behavior, vocalization, and micturition. To control these behaviors the PAG depends on strong input from more rostrally located limbic structures, as well as from afferent input from the lower brainstem and spinal cord.

Nucleus retroambiguus projections to the periaqueductal gray in the cat.

The nucleus retroambiguus (NRA) of the caudal medulla is a relay nucleus by which neurons of the mesencephalic periaqueductal gray (PAG) reach motoneurons of pharynx, larynx, soft palate, intercostal and abdominal muscles, and several muscles of the hindlimbs. These PAG-NRA-motoneuronal projections are thought to play a role in survival behaviors, such as vocalization and mating behavior. In the present combined antero- and retrograde tracing study in the cat, we sought to determine whether the NRA, apart from the neurons projecting to motoneurons, also contains cells projecting back to the PAG.