Premium
Histological identification of premotor neurons for horizontal saccades in monkey and man by parvalbumin immunostaining
Author(s) -
Horn Anja K. E.,
BüttnerEnnever Jean A.,
Suzuki Yasuo,
Henn Volker
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.903590212
Subject(s) - parvalbumin , abducens nucleus , biology , neuroscience , anatomy , neuron , reticular formation , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , paramedian pontine reticular formation , excitatory postsynaptic potential , nucleus
The premotor excitatory and inhibitory burst neurons are essential for horizontal saccades. In the monkey, excitatory burst neurons lie in the ipsilateral paramedian pontine reticular formation, and the inhibitory burst neurons lie more caudally in the contralateral nucleus paragigantocellularis dorsalis. For a neuropathological analysis of degenerative changes in saccadic disorders of patients, the histological identification of the burst neuron areas in man is important. Here, we show that this is possible with parvalbumin immunostaining as a histological marker. First, in monkeys, the premotor burst neurons were backlabeled by injections of wheat germ agglutinin‐horseradish peroxidase or cholera toxin subunit B into the abducens nucleus or tetanus toxin fragment C into the lateral rectus muscle and shown by double labeling to contain parvalbumin. Then, human brainstein sections were immunoreacted for parvalbumin, and, by comparing the resulting staining pattern to that in the monkey, the homologous burst neuron areas were defined in man. In the monkey, excitatory burst neurons were confined to the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis and did not extend farther rostrally into the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis. All retrogradely labeled cells in both burst neuron areas were parvalbumir. positive, and approximately 70% of the parvalbumin‐positive cells were retrogradely labeled. Both burst neuron areas were highlighted by their parvalbumin taining pattern and could be outlined in man as well. The putative excitatory burst neuron area in man is in the medial part of the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis (extending 2.5 mm mediolaterally), immediately rostral (250 μm) to the omnipause neurons and extending 2.2 mm rostrally, and the putative inhibitory burst neuron area lies in the medial part of the paragigantocellular nucleus caudal to the abducqns nucleus, extending 1.8 mm caudally. The location of the burst neuron areas, including the burst neurons themselves, via parvalbuinin immunostaining will help in the analysis of clinical cases with slow saccades. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.