[Electrophysiologic analysis of cortico-pontine relationships]

Projections of different regions of orbitofrontal and basotemporal cortex as well as of the hippocampus in the pons varolii area were studied by means of focal recording in acute experiments on cats anesthetized with nembutal and chloralose. It is shown that different formations of the frontobasal regions of the neocortex have local projections into the rostral zones of pons varolii and relatively diffuse projections into its caudal regions. The representation of the hippocampus is weaker as compared with the representation of the frontobasal region, and the focal responses are more diffuse. All the studied structures are represented in the nuclei of the pons varolii. The region of the orbitofrontal cortex is not represented in the caudal part of the reticular formation, the basotemporal cortex has no projections into brachium pontis.