STRUCTURE AND CONNECTIONS OF RED NUCLEUS

本建议的目的是了解结构， 大鼠红核的连通性。 这项研究将构成基础 一个功能性研究。 两个新发现 实验室提示红核-脊髓和红核-橄榄输出 大鼠红核是了解 解剖组织原理和运动原理 控制和补偿。 第一个发现是起源于红核脊髓的神经元 束也投射到延髓的下橄榄核 （初步数据部分和Kennedy 1987 a）。 这是用 红核神经元的双重标记。 这些发现也 证实本实验室先前的预测报告 从红核到下橄榄核（论文在 附录A）。 第二个发现是，红核到 下橄榄核参与对损伤的代偿 红核脊髓束 经过训练的老鼠无法恢复，或者只能 在红核损伤破坏神经元后， 红核-橄榄和红核-脊髓输出的起源。 此外该 红橄榄输出系统在持续控制 因为如果老鼠已经补偿了 红核脊髓束病变，其性能是最低限度的，只有 在随后的红核损伤后暂时受到影响。 本文提出的该系统的完整解剖描述 使用多种示踪剂将为功能研究提供指导 及其后来的解释。 最终，预计 了解红核的基本性质， 特别是其在补偿神经缺陷中作用， 将为此类疾病的治疗方式提供合理的基础 如中风和学习障碍。

The aim of this proposal is to understand the structure and connectivity of rat red nucleus. This study will form the basis of a functional study to follow later. Two new findings from this laboratory suggest that the rubro-spinal and rubro-olivary outputs of rat red nucleus are excellent model systems for understanding principles of anatomic organization as well as principles of motor control and compensation. The first finding is that neurons of origin of the rubrospinal tract also project to the inferior olivary nucleus in the medulla (Preliminary Data section and Kennedy 1987a). This was shown using double labelling of the red nucleus neurons. These findings also confirm the previous report from this laboratory of a projection from the red nucleus to the inferior olivary nucleus (paper in Appendix A). The second finding is that the projection from red nucleus to the inferior olivary nucleus is involved in compensation for lesions of the rubrospinal tract. Trained rats could not recover, or only very slowly, after red nucleus lesions destroy the neurons of origin of rubro-olivary and rubro-spinal outputs. In addition, the rubro-olivary output system plays no role in on-going control of movements as tested because, if the rat had already compensated for a rubrospinal tract lesion, its performance was minimally and only temporarily affected after a subsequent red nucleus lesion. The complete anatomical description of this system as proposed here using multiple tracers will provide a guide to functional studies and their subsequent interpretation. Ultimately, it is expected that understanding the fundamental nature of the red nucleus and, in particular, its role in compensation for neurological deficits, will lead to a rational basis for treatment modalities for such disorders as stroke and learning disabilities.