title: Organization of vestibular inputs to nucleus tractus solitarius and adjacent structures in cat brain stem.
abstract: The vestibular system is involved in maintaining stable blood pressure and respiration during changes in posture and is essential for eliciting motion sickness-related vomiting. Because the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) participates in the regulation of sympathetic and inspiratory outflow and the triggering of emesis, we tested the hypothesis that this region receives vestibular inputs in cats. In one set of experiments, microinjections of the tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin into the medial and inferior vestibular nuclei labeled projections to the middle and lateral regions of the NTS. In electrophysiological experiments, electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve modified the firing rates of neurons located in the same regions. Some neurons with vestibular inputs received convergent signals from the abdominal vagus nerve and could potentially mediate motion sickness-related vomiting. Others received convergent baroreceptor inputs and could act as a substrate for some components of vestibulosympathetic reflexes. In contrast, inspiratory neurons in the dorsal respiratory group received little vestibular input, suggesting that vestibulorespiratory reflexes are mediated by cells located elsewhere.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grélot
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Kerman
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Balaban
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jakus
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002415:Cats; D004594:Electrophysiology; D004597:Electroshock; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D001239:Inhalation; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010791:Phrenic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D011311:Pressoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; C100156:leukoagglutinins, plants