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Updated: May 31, 2025

High-resolution Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Methods for Human Midbrain
Published on: May 10, 2012
A cortico-subcortical loop for motor control via the pontine reticular formation
Emília Bősz1, Viktor M Plattner2, László Biró3
1Lendület Thalamus Research Group, HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary; János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, 1083 Budapest, Hungary.
None:
Movement and locomotion are controlled by large neuronal circuits like the cortex-basal ganglia (BG)-thalamus loop. Besides the inhibitory thalamic output, the BG directly control movement via specialized connections with the brainstem. Whether other parallel loops with similar logic exist is presently unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the secondary motor and cingulate cortices (M2/Cg) target and strongly control the activity of glycine transporter 2-positive (GlyT2+) cells in the pontine reticular formation (PRF). In turn, PRF/GlyT2+ cells project to and powerfully inhibit the intralaminar/parafascicular nuclei of the thalamus (IL/Pf). M2/Cg cells co-innervate PRF/GlyT2+ cells and the IL/Pf. Thalamus-projecting PRF/GlyT2+ cells target ipsilateral subcortical regions distinct from BG targets. Activation of the thalamus-projecting PRF/GlyT2+ cells leads to contralateral turning. These results demonstrate that the PRF is part of a cortico-subcortical loop that regulates motor activity parallel to BG circuits. The cortico-PRF-thalamus loop can control turning synergistically with the BG loops via distinct descending pathways.
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