The supraspinal innervation of the left adrenal is more intense than that of the right one.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies using the viral transneuronal tracing technique demonstrated that central autonomic circuits are involved in the innervation of the adrenal gland. Since increasing number of data indicate laterality in the neuroendocrine system, we aimed to investigate whether the supraspinal innervation of the adrenal gland exhibits asymmetry or not.


METHODS
The central circuitry involved in the innervation of the left and the right adrenal gland was studied in individual rats by dual transneuronal tracing using isogenic recombinant strains (BDG and BDL) of Bartha strain of pseudorabies virus.


RESULTS
Viral infection of brain nuclei (dorsal vagal nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract, caudal raphe nuclei, A5 cell group, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus) from the left adrenal was more severe than that from the right organ. Dual-infected neurons from the two adrenals were also detected both in the brain stem and in the hypothalamus.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate a predominance in the supraspinal innervation of the left adrenal gland. Data further suggest that each adrenal gland is innervated both by side-specific neurons and by neurons which project to both organs.
Gerendai
Ida
I
Neuromorphologie and Neuroendocrine Research Laboratory, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Semmelweis University, Budapest. gerendai@ana2.sote.hu
Wiesel
Ory
O
Boldogkoi
Zsolt
Z
Tóth
Ida E
IE
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D011558:Herpesvirus 1, Suid; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D011557:Pseudorabies; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology