Projections of precentral and premotor cortex to the red nucleus and other midbrain areas in Macaca fascicularis

Abstract

Midbrain projections from the precentral and premotor cortex were studied autoradiographyically in seven macaques. Earlier findings of Kuypers and Lawrence (1967) based on silver impregnated axonal degeneration were largely confirmed and partly extended. Laminar projections into the parvocellular red nucleus were found bilaterally from the somatotopic representation areas of the precentral cortex and three main divisions of premotor cortex (ventral, dorsal, and medial). The heaviest contralateral projection was recorded from the medial hemispheric aspects of area 6 (partly identical with the supplementary motor cortex). Homolateral projections were found from the limb areas of the precentral motor cortex to the magnocellular portion of the red nucleus and direct evidence for the overlap between corticorubral projections and corresponding areas of origin of the rubrospinal tract was obtained. Other projections concerned N. Darkschewitsch, N. Edinger-Westphal, suprarubral and dorsal mesencephalic reticular formation and adjacent lateral periaqueductal grey, substantia nigra, pretectal region, superior colliculus and N. tegmenti pedunculo-pontinus.