Superficial tectal neurons projecting to the dorsolateral pontine nucleus in the rabbit

After WGA-HRP injections in the pontine grey involving the dorsolateral pontine nucleus, a great number of labeled cells were found in the superficial layers of the ipsilateral superior colliculus. The majority of these cells were located in the stratum griseum superficiale (SGS). Few labeled cells were found in the stratum opticum, and the stratum zonale (SZ) showed no labeled cells. Labeled cells in the SGS formed a rather homogeneous population as most of them had fusiform somata with an upper dendritic process which runs vertically to reach the SZ. These cells were mainly located in the middle third of the SGS, forming a sublamina in this layer. These results demonstrate the participation of the superficial tectal layers in the ipsilateral descending pathway of the superior colliculus, allowing visual information to reach precerebellar stations at the dorsolateral pontine nucleus.