Epileptogenic stimulation of the cortical masticatory area and the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus

1. The effects of epileptogenic stimulation of the cerebral masticatory area on the somata of the first-order neurons of masticatory proprioception localized in the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN) were studied in curarized, lightly anaesthetized rabbits. 2. Low-frequency stimulations inducing modest cortical after-discharges fired the silent MTN units with latencies of 0.3-0.8 sec, and induced alternate excitatory and inhibitory effects on the active units. On some occasions the tonic afferent discharge was changed into rhythmic bursts, which occurred at the constant frequency of 2.5-3.5/sec for the entire range of stimulation frequencies used, i.e. from 0.3 to 10/sec. 3. High-frequency cortical stimulations eliciting true epileptic seizures induced a transient increase in discharge of the MTN units, followed by a prolonged inhibition. 4. All these effects were attributed to activation of reticular pathways acting on the some of the recorded proprioceptive neurons. Such a modulation of the proprioceptive input elicited by the epileptic masticatory cortex may contribute to the motor effects and to the changes of the masseteric reflex which occur during convulsive seizures.