Descending pathways to the spinal cord in teleosts in comparison with mammals, with special attention to rubrospinal pathways

In this article we review descending neural pathways to the spinal cord in teleosts, compared with mammals. Descending pathways to the spinal cord are crucial in controlling various behaviors in vertebrates. The major difference between teleosts and mammals is the lack of corticospinal (or palliospinal) tracts. Other descending pathways, which originate from the brain stem, are basically identical in teleosts and mammals. This suggests the presence of common systems in the spinal motor control by higher order centers. The homologue of nucleus ruber remained unclear in teleosts until recently, and this review pays special attention to the rubrospinal tract.

Phylogenetic distribution of nucleus ruber of Goldstein (Arch. Mikrosk. Anat., 66, 1905, 135) (NRg) and nucleus ruber of Nieuwenhuys & Pouwels (Fish Neurobiology, Vol. 1, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 1983: 25–87) (NRnp) in actinoptertgians.

Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - April 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Naoyuki Yamamoto, Tomoya Nakayama, Hanako Hagio Tags: Review Article Source Type: research