Authors: Eric Rinvik Irena Grofová
Publish Date: 2004/09/01
Volume: 146, Issue: 1, Pages: 95-111
Abstract
An experimental electron microscopical study has been made on the mode of termination of the cerebellothalamic projections in the cat Supporting experimental light microscopical studies of silver impregnated sections following a large lesion of the cerebellar nuclei and light microscopical autoradiographic studies of the thalamus following injections of tritiated leucine in parts of the cerebellar nuclei have been made as well Following large lesions of the cerebellar nuclei only the largest occuring type of bouton in the cats VL and VA type LR bouton degenerates Following such lesions type LR boutons undergo a filamentous hypertrophy before becoming electrondense One degenerating LR bouton establishes complex synapses with the dendrites of both thalamocortical relay cells and interneurons Not all type LR boutons in VL and VA degenerate following lesions of the cerebellar nuclei Light microscopical autoradiographic studies as well as experimental electron microscopical investigations indicate that cerebellothalamic fibers end in clusters within VL and VA and that the areas of termination lie more rostrally within these thalamic nuclei than has been inferred from experimental studies of silver impregnated sections following lesions of the cerebellar nuclei The findings are discussed with respect to relevant morphological and physiological data
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