Cranial visceral afferent pathways through the nucleus of the solitary tract to caudal ventrolateral medulla or paraventricular hypothalamus: Target-specific synaptic reliability and convergence patterns

Timothy W. Bailey, Sam M. Hermes, Michael C. Andresen, Sue A. Aicher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

124 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cranial visceral afferents activate central pathways that mediate systemic homeostatic processes. Afferent information arrives in the brainstem nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and is relayed to other CNS sites for integration into autonomic responses and complex behaviors. Little is known about the organization or nature of processing within NTS.Weinjected fluorescent retrograde tracers into two nuclei to identify neurons that project to sites involved in autonomic regulation: the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) or paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). We found distinct differences in synaptic connections and performance in the afferent path through NTS to these neurons. Anatomical studies using confocal and electron microscopy found prominent, primary afferent synapses directly on somata and dendrites of CVLM-projecting NTS neurons identifying them as second-order neurons. In brainstem slices, afferent activation evoked large, constant latency EPSCs in CVLM-projecting NTS neurons that were consistent with the precise timing and rare failures of monosynaptic contacts on second-order neurons. In contrast, most PVN-projecting NTS neurons lacked direct afferent input and responded to afferent stimuli with highly variable, intermittently failing synaptic responses, indicating polysynaptic pathways to higher-order neurons. The afferent-evoked EPSCs in most PVN-projecting NTS neurons were smaller and unreliable but also often included multiple, convergent polysynaptic responses not observed in CVLM-projecting neurons. A few PVN-projecting NTS neurons had monosynaptic EPSC characteristics. Together, we found that cranial visceral afferent pathways are structured distinctly within NTS depending on the projection target. Such, intra-NTS pathway architecture will substantially impact performance of autonomic or neuroendocrine reflex arcs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)11893-11902
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Neuroscience
Volume26
Issue number46
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 15 2006

Keywords

  • Autonomic
  • Baroreceptor
  • Brainstem
  • Hypothalamus
  • Paraventricular
  • Sensory

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cranial visceral afferent pathways through the nucleus of the solitary tract to caudal ventrolateral medulla or paraventricular hypothalamus: Target-specific synaptic reliability and convergence patterns'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this