Evidence for a cholinergic projection from the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus to the rostral ventrolateral medulla in the rat.
Recent studies indicate that cholinergic innervation of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVL) may play an important role in regulation of blood pressure, but the origin of this input is not known. Using retrograde fluorescent tracing combined with immunohistochemistry for choline acetyltransferase, we found that as many as 10% of the cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) can be retrogradely labeled from the RVL. Anterograde tracing of this pathway with PHA-L demonstrated that descending fibers from the region of the PPT ramify and give off terminal boutons in the RVL. These studies indicate that PPT may be a major source of cholinergic afferents to the RVL.
Yasui
Y
Y
Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences, University of Chicago, IL 60637.
Cechetto
D F
DF
Saper
C B
CB
D000818:Animals; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000166:cytology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D051381:Rats; D013681:Tegmentum Mesencephali / Q000166:cytology*
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase