title: C1-3 adrenergic medullary neurones project to the paraventricular thalamic nucleus in the rat.
abstract: Adrenergic afferents to the thalamus are almost entirely concentrated in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PV). The origins of this projection from medullary C1-3 neurones were quantified, using a combination of retrograde fluorescent markers and immunocytochemical localisation for phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) in the rat. C1 neurones contributed 51%, C2 29% and C3 20% of the total adrenergic input. Many apparently non-adrenergic retrogradely labelled neurones were also found amongst the C1-3 neurones. The C3 region contained the largest adrenergic population (67%) of retrogradely labelled neurones. The neuronal networks associated with PV suggest a role for these adrenergic projections in regulating specific autonomic, locomotor and behavioural events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: O T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Phillipson
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bohn
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000502:physiology*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012235:Rhodamines; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012235:Rhodamines; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase; D004837:Epinephrine