The cell masses in the brainstem of the South African clawed frog Xenopus laevis: A topographical and topological analysis

The ventricular sulcal pattern and the cytoarchitecture of the brainstem of Xenopus laevis, a pipid frog which retains a lateral line system throughout life, were studied in transverse Nissl‐ and Klüver‐Barrera‐stained serial sections. Four distinct longitudinal sulci, the sulcus medianus inferior, the sulcus intermedius ventralis, the sulcus limitans, and the sulcus medianus superior, could be distinguished. With the aid of the usual cytoarchitectonic criteria 42 cell groups were delineated; seven of these are primary efferent or motor nuclei, 13 are primary efferent or sensory centers, seven nuclei are considered to be components of the reticular formation, and the remaining 15 cell masses can be indicated as “relay” nuclei. In order to provide a basis for experimental work, the topographical position of the nuclei is illustrated in photomicrographs of representative levels and in graphical reconstructions. The distribution of the cell masses and their relations to the ventricular sulci were studied with the aid of the reconstruction procedure termed topological analysis (cf. Nieuwenhuys, '74; Fig. 19). This analysis yielded the following results. The sulcus limitans extends throughout almost the entire brainstem, dividing this part of the brain into a motor basal plate and a sensory alar plate. The cell masses in the rhombencephalic basal plate fit into two longitudinal zones, a medial area ventralis and a lateral area intermedioventralis. The former contains somatomotor centers of primary and higher order, whereas the latter is composed of three primary visceromotor nuclei and one visceromotor coordinating center. The rhombencephalic alar plate is occupied by viscerosensory, general somatosensory, and special somatosensory cell masses. Two centers, the nucleus fasciculi solitarii and the nucleus visceralis secundarius, represent together a discontinuous viscerosensory zone, which is situated immediately dorsal to the sulcus limitans. The general somatosensory nuclei, i.e., the gracile and cuneate nuclei, the nucleus tractus descendens of V, and the nucleus princeps of V constitute a zone which largely overlaps the viscerosensory zone. The special somatosensory area, i.e., the area of termination of (1) primary vestibular, (2) primary acoustic, and (3) lateral line nerve fibers, is strongly developed and occupies a considerable part of the alar plate. Presumably, the fibers of each of the three categories mentioned terminate in three separate zones of g