Mesencephalic and bulbar reticular influences on somatosensory cortical neurons: short- and long-latency effects

Somatosensory cortical neurons were intracellularly and extracellularly recorded in cats encéphale isolé, and after acute lesions of midthalamic nuclei or after chronic hemisection of the brain stem at the pretrigeminal level. Intracellular recordings showed postsynaptic facilitatory and inhibitory effects at very low latency by stimulating both the mesencephalic (MRF) and bulbar reticular formation (BRF). Inhibitory effects dominated by stimulating the BRF. Neither midthalamic lesions nor pretrigeminal hemisection changed the quality of latency of postsynaptic responses. Extracellular recordings revealed long-latency inhibition of discharge following MRF stimulation after midthalamic lesion. In these experimental conditions long-latency BRF effects were abolished. No differences were found in responses of pyramidal tract (PT) or non-PT neurons during BRF and MRF stimulation. The results are discussed on the basis of a possible extrathalamic differential reticular control, from caudal and rostral brain stem, of somatosensory cortical neurons.