Projection from dorsal column nuclei to dorsal mesencephalon

This study investigated the projection from the dorsal column nuclei (DCN) to the dorsal mesencephalon. Single-unit extracellular recordings were obtained from the DCN of alpha-chloralose anesthetized cats. Neurons were identified by standard antidromic stimulation criteria as projecting to the dorsal mesencephalon (M neurons), the diencephalon (D neurons), or to both regions (MD neurons). Fifty-two neurons could be antidromically activated from the dorsal mesencephalon. Of these, 31 could also be antidromically activated by stimulation in the diencephalon. An additional 34 neurons were studied that could be antidromically activated only from the diencephalon. Stimulation sites within the dorsal mesencephalon effective in antidromically activating M and MD neurons were in the caudal ventrolateral superior colliculus, the intercollicular area, and external nucleus of the inferior colliculus. Effective diencephalic stimulation sites were in the ventroposterolateral nucleus, the zona incerta, and the magnocellular division of the medial geniculate. The antidromic latencies to stimulation in the dorsal mesencephalon of M and MD neurons spanned a similar but wide range of values in contrast to the latencies to stimulation in the diencephalon of D neurons which were all short. Conduction velocities along the mesencephalic and diencephalic collaterals of MD neurons were similar. Many of the neurons projecting to the mesencephalon had receptive fields located proximally on the body. Most of the neurons had rapidly adapting responses to low-intensity mechanical stimulation of the skin. The major difference between the mesencephalic M and MD projection neurons and diencephalic projection D neurons was the larger percentage of neurons having proximal receptive fields in the former group. These findings are the first electrophysiological demonstration of a direct somatosensory input to the dorsal mesencephalon arising in the DCN. This input is probably responsible for providing some of the somatosensory input to the deeper layers of the superior colliculus, the external nucleus of the inferior colliculus, and the intercollicular area, regions known to have neurons responding to somatosensory stimuli.