Morphological and electrophysiological characteristics of projection neurons in the nucleus interpositus of the cat cerebellum

Abstract

The populations of neurons in the nucleus interpositus (IP) of the cat cerebellum which project to the ventral lateral nucleus of the thalamus (VL), the red nucleus (RN), the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (NRTP), the pontine nuclei (PN), the inferior olive (IO), and the cerebellar cortex were identified by intracellular and extracellular injections of HRP and studied electrophysiologically. When HRP was simultaneously injected into the VL, RN, and IO, over 95% of the neurons in the IP nuclei were labeled; indicating that there are few, if any, local circuit neurons. The vast majority (86%) of the larger IP neurons (soma length greater than or equal to 20 micrometer) project rostrally to the RN and thalamus. These neurons typically have long, relatively spine free dendrites and axons which in a few cases gave rise to recurrent collaterals. Two intracellularly stained projection neurons which had exceptionally long spiny dendrites had axons which gave rise to nucleocortical collaterals in addition to several local collaterals. IP neurons projecting to the NRTP and PN were located primarily in the lateral aspect of the nucleus interpositus anterior. Electrophysiological experiments established that neurons projecting to the NRTP also project to the VL. The IP neurons projecting to the IO have small fusiform or multipolar somata, long thin dendrites, and receive excitatory inputs from the IO. At least 73% of the small neurons in the IP project to the IO, and some of these, in addition, project to the VL. There are at least three morphologically distinguishable populations of projection neurons, small IO projections neurons, and neurons with nucleocortical collaterals. The projection of the IP to diverse regions of the brain is accomplished mainly by axon collateralization, but regional and morphological specialization also play a role in the organization of the output of the IP.