THE NON-AUDITORIAL AFFERENTS OF THE INFERIOR COLLICULUS IN THE RAT——WGA-HRP METHOD / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

WGA-HRP was injected into the inferior colliculus in the rat in order to study the non-auditorial afferents of the inferior colliculus. In the diencephalon and truncus encephali, retrograde labeling was observed in many non-auditorial regions bilateral (with contralateral predominance) cuneate nucleus, gracile nucleus, nucleus of spinal tract of trigeminal nerve, nucleus medullae oblongatae centralis dorsalis; bilateral (with homolateral predominance) locus ceruleus, nucleus reticularis pontis oralis, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, substantia nigra, sub-parafascicular nucleus, perifornical nucleus; bilateral medial parabrachial nucleus, deep tegmental nucleus of midbrain, lateral hypothalamic area; homolateral deep layer of superior colliculus, zona incerta; contralateral nucleus of solitary tract; and posteromedian septum, central tegmental nucleus, dorsal nucleus of the raphe. The afferent neurons from cuneate nucleus, gracile nucleus, nucleus of spinal tract of trigeminal nerve, nucleus of solitary tract mainly located below the level of obex. The results mentioned above suggested that the inferior colliculus is not only an auditorial relay nucleus, but also a complex body which is of different functions.