Nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis: a bridge between the basal ganglia and cerebellum for movement control

Neural processing in the basal ganglia is critical for normal movement. Diseases of the basal ganglia, such as Parkinson’s disease, produce a variety of movement disorders including akinesia and bradykinesia. Many believe that the basal ganglia influence movement via thalamic projections to motor areas of the cerebral cortex and through projections to the cerebellum, which also projects to the motor cortex via the thalamus. However, lesions that interrupt these thalamic pathways to the cortex have little effect on many movements, including limb movements. Yet, limb movements are severely impaired by basal ganglia disease or damage to the cerebellum. We can explain this impairment as well as the mild effects of thalamic lesions if basal ganglia and cerebellar output reach brainstem motor regions without passing through the thalamus. In this report, we describe several brainstem pathways that connect basal ganglia output to the cerebellum via nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (NRTP). Additionally, we propose that widespread afferent and efferent connections of NRTP with the cerebellum could integrate processing across cerebellar regions. The basal ganglia could then alter movements via descending projections of the cerebellum. Pathways through NRTP are important for the control of normal movement and may underlie deficits associated with basal ganglia disease.