Afferent connections of the laterodorsal and the pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei in the rat: A retro‐ and antero‐grade transport and immunohistochemical study

作者：Kazue Semba, Hans C. Fibiger · 发表于：The Journal of Comparative Neurology · 年份：1992 · DOI：10.1002/cne.903230307 · 被引用次数：541 · 研究领域：Sleep and Wakefulness Research、Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research、Neuroscience of respiration and sleep

Abstract Increasingly strong evidence suggests that cholinergic neurons in the mesopontine tegmentum play important roles in the control of wakefulness and sleep. To understand better how the activity of these neurons is regulated, the potential afferent connections of the laterodorsal (LDT) and pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei (PPT) were investigated in the rat. This was accomplished by using retrograde and anterograde axonal transport methods and NADPH‐diaphorase histochemistry. Immunohistochemistry was also used to identify the transmitter content of some of the retrogradely identified afferents. Following injections of the retrograde tracer wheatgerm agglutinin‐conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA‐HRP) into either the LDT or the PPT, labelled neurons were seen in a number of limbic forebrain structures. The medial prefrontal cortex and lateral habenula contained more retrogradely labelled neurons from the LDT, whereas in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and central nucleus of the amygdala, more cells were labelled from the PPT. Moderate numbers of neurons were seen in the magnocellular regions of the basal forebrain, and many labelled neurons were observed in the lateral hypothalamus, the zona incerta, and the midbrain central gray from both the LDT and the PPT. Accessory oculomotor nuclei in the midbrain as well as eye movement‐related structures in the lower brainstem contained some neurons labelled from the LDT, and fewer neurons from the PPT. A few labelled ...