Dorsal column nuclei

About: Dorsal column nuclei is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 594 publications have been published within this topic receiving 28692 citations.

Neurotensin: topographical distribution in rat brain by immunohistochemistry.

Abstract: The anatomical distribution of neurotensin perikarya and fibers in rat brain, spinal cord, and pituitary has been studied by immunohistochemistry. Neurotensin immunoreactivity is widely distributed throughout the brain, especially in forebrain and midbrain limbic structures, but also in the pons, medulla, and spinal cord. Areas with low immunoreactivity, or lack of it, stand out and include most of the hippocampus, isocortex, ventromedial and dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei, somatomotor nuclei, cerebellum, and dorsal column nuclei. Strong neurotensin immunoreactivity is found in accumbens-caudate-putamen, central and medial amygdaloid nuclei, ventrolateral septum, pars lateralis of the nucleus of the stria terminalis, paraventricular, periventricular, and lateral hypothalamus, median eminence, thalamic intralaminar and periventricular nuclei, ventral tegmentum, central gray, certain raphe nuclei, locus ceruleus, nucleus parabrachialis medialis and lateralis, nucleus of the solitary tract and area postrema, spinal and trigeminal substantia gelatinosa, as well as certain cells in the anterior pituitary. The anatomical data suggest the existence of neurotensin circuits for (1) the control of autonomic-endocrine functions, involving the nucleus tractus solitarii, area postrema, nucleus ambiguus, nucleus parabrachialis, nucleus paraventricularis, nucleus centralis amygdalae, and pars lateralis of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; and (2) for the transmission and modulation of certain somatosensory qualities, involving the spinal substantia gelatinosa, trigeminal sensory nuclei, and thalamic intralaminar nuclei.

Progress in Sensory Physiology

Abstract: 1 Introductory Remarks- 2 Plasticity in the Peripheral Somatosensory Nervous System- 21 Aspects of Plasticity in the Peripheral Nervous System- 22 Survival and Loss of Sensory Neurons After Lesions of the Peripheral Nervous System- 221 Effect of Crush or Transection of Peripheral Nerve on Neurons of Sensory Ganglia- 222 Trophic Dependence of Immature Sensory Neurons on the Periphery- 223 Effect of Peripheral Nerve Transection on Different Types of Sensory Neurons in Dorsal Root Ganglia- 224 Effect of Peripheral Nerve Section on Fibre Composition of Dorsal Roots- 225 Fate of the Lost neurons- 226 Sensory Cell Loss After Chemical Lesions of Afferent Fibres- 23 Collateral Sprouting of Primary Afferent Fibres in the Periphery- 231 Collateral Reinnervation of the Skin in Adult Mammals- 232 Collateral Sprouting in Neonates- 233 Effect of Neural Activity on Collateral Sprouting- 234 Collateral Sprouting of Trigeminal Afferents- 235 Collateral Sprouting and Sensory Recovery in Man- 236 Fate of Collateral Sprouts After Regeneration of Original Nerve- 24 Regeneration of Somatic Sensory Afferent Fibres- 241 Numbers of Axons in Nerves Regenerating After Crush or Transection- 242 Size of Regenerated Axons- 243 Effect of Denervation on Specialized Cutaneous Mechanoreceptors- 244 Reinnervation of Cutaneous Receptors by Regenerating Sensory Fibres- 25 Modality Specificity of Somatosensory Nerve Regeneration- 251 Regeneration of Myelinated Afferent Fibres to Hairy Skin- 252 Regeneration of Myelinated Afferent Fibres to Glabrous Skin- 253 Regeneration of Unmyelinated Afferent Fibres- 26 Major Conclusions- 3 Plasticity and the Mystacial Vibrissae of Rodents- 31 General Account of Pathway- 32 Normal Development of the Vibrissae and Their Neural Connections to the Cerebral Cortex- 33 Effects of Lesions and Manipulations in Prenatal, Neonatal and Developing Animals- 331 Damage of the Infraorbital Nerve- 332 Lesions to One or More Vibrissae- 333 The Effects of Supernumerary Vibrissae- 334 The Effects of Lesioning Unmyelinated Afferents- 335 Hyper- and Hypostimulation of Vibrissa Afferents- 336 Cortical Alterations- 34 Plasticity in the Vibrissa System of Adult Animals- 341 The SI Cortex- 342 The Ventral Posterior Medial Nucleus- 35 Major Conclusions- 4 Plasticity and the Spinal Dorsal Horn (with Notes on Homologous Regions of the Trigeminal Nuclei)- 41 Experimental Strategies for Demonstration of Plasticity in the Dorsal Horn of the Spinal Cord and Trigeminal Nuclei- 42 Overview of Dorsal Horn Organization- 421 Laminar Cytoarchitectonic Organization- 422 Laminar Organization of the Termination of Primary Afferent Fibres- 423 Microanatomical Organization of Low-Threshold Cutaneous Afferents- 424 Relation of Functional Properties to Lamination of the Dorsal Horn- 425 Inhibitory Receptive Fields- 43 Somatotopic Organization of the Dorsal Horn- 431 Dorsal Horn Neurons- 432 Somatotopy and Lamination- 433 Relation of Primary Afferent Projections to Dorsal Horn Somatotopy- 434 Relation Between Dorsal Horn Cell Dendritic Morphology and Receptive Field- 44 Effect of Lesions on Somatotopic Organization- 441 Dorsal Rhizotomy- 442 Chronic Spinal Lesions- 443 Peripheral Nerve Transection or Crush- 45 Mechanisms Underlying the Somatotopic Reorganization of Dorsal Horn Neurons- 451 Physiological and Pharmacological Evidence for the Existence of Normally Ineffective- Afferent Connections- 452 Spontaneous Changes of Receptive Fields- 453 Plasticity of Receptive Fields Induced by Afferent Activity- 454 Involvement of Unmyelinated Afferents in the Somatotopic Reorganization After Peripheral Nerve Injury- 455 Sprouting of Primary Afferent Fibres and Other Neurons as a Basis for Somatotopic Reorganization- 46 Plasticity of the Developing Dorsal Hor- 461 Development of Dorsal Horn Neurons and Primary Afferents- 462 Functional Plasticity in Development- 463 Somatotopic Reorganization Following Neonatal Peripheral Nerve Lesions- 464 Anatomical Plasticity of Neonatal Afferent Projections- 47 Major Conclusions- 5 Plasticity and the Dorsal Column Nuclei- 51 Advantages of the Dorsal Column Nuclei for Studies of Plasticity- 52 Organization of the Dorsal Column Nuclei- 521 Cytoarchitectonics- 522 Ascending Afferent Pathways- 523 Responses of Neurons to Natural Stimulation- 524 Core and Shell Organization- 525 Somatotopic Organization- 53 Alterations of Inputs to the Nuclei- 531 Section of Ascending Pathways- 532 Effects of Dorsal Rhizotomy- 533 Peripheral Nerve Section- 54 Evidence for Ineffective Afferent Connections- 541 Projections of Dorsal Roots and Peripheral Nerves- 542 Projections of Single Afferent Fibres- 543 Dendritic Spread of Cuneate Neurons- 544 Electrical Stimulation and Widefield Neurons- 545 Pharmacological Alterations of Receptive Fields- 55 Recovery from Sensorimotor Deficits Following Dorsal Column Lesions- 56 Plasticity of the DCN During Development- 561 Effects of Prenatal Lesions- 562 Effect of Neonatal Destruction of Unmyelinated Afferents- 57 Major Conclusions- 6 Plasticity and the Somatosensory Thalamus- 61 Experimental Strategies and Plasticity in the Ventral Posterior Nuclei of the Thalamus- 62 Anatomical Organization of Inputs and Outputs of the Ventral Posterior Nuclei- 621 Primate and Cat- 622 Raccoon- 623 Rat- 63 Responses of Neurons to Cutaneous Stimulation and the Effects of Anaesthetics and Other Drugs- 64 Somatotopic Organization of the VPL and VPM- 65 Effects of Alteration of Input on Somatotopic Organization- 651 Reversible Blockade of Afferents and the Immediate Expression of New Inputs- 652 Chronic Lesion of Afferent Pathways and Sprouting of Thalamic Afferents- 66 Major Conclusions- 7 Plasticity and the Somatosensory Cerebral Cortex- 71 Experimental Strategies and Cortical Plasticity- 72 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Developing Primates- 721 Multiple Representations- 722 Thalamic Input and Intracortical Connectivity- 723 Responses of Cortical Neurons to Natural Stimulation- 724 Somatotopic Representation of the Hand in Areas 3b and 1- 725 Anatomy and Innervation of the Monkey Hand- 726 Anaesthetics and the Representation of the Hand- 727 Injury and Subsequent Regeneration of Peripheral Nerves- 728 Section and Ligation of Peripheral Nerves- 729 Effects of Repeated Stimulation on Cortical Representations- 7210 Cortical Damage- 73 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Developing Cats- 731 Somatotopic Organization, Cytoarchitectonics and Neuronal Responses- 732 Thalamic Input and Ineffective Thalamocortical Connections- 733 Effects of Anaesthetics and Other Drugs- 734 Cordotomy and Section of Ascending Tracts- 735 Blockage of Primary Afferent Input in Specific Dorsal Roots- 736 Damage to Peripheral Nerves and Effects of Usage on Cortical Representation- 737 Cortical Damage- 74 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Infant Raccoons- 741 Somatotopic Organization and Cytoarchitectonics- 742 Neuronal Responses in SI Cortex and the Effects of Anaesthetics- 743 Ineffective Afferent Connections- 744 Effects of Amputation on Cortical Somatotopy- 75 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Developing Rodents- 751 Somatotopic Organization and Cytoarchitectonics- 752 Section and Ligation of Peripheral Nerves in the Adult- 753 Effects of Perinatal Nerve Section or Limb Amputation- 754 Pharmacological Mechanisms Underlying Somatotopic Reorganization- 755 Cortical Damage- 76 Major Conclusions- 8 Concluding Remarks- 81 Plasticity During Development- 811 Disruption of a Growing System and the Influence of the Periphery- 812 The Influence of Afferent Axons and the Target Tissue- 82 Evaluation of Experimentally Induced Plasticity in Adult Animals- 821 Plasticity in the Peripheral Nervous System- 822 Somatotopic Organization in Intact Animals as a Baseline for Assessing Altered Connections- 823 Somatotopic-Artifacts in Regions Deprived of Their Normal Input- 824 Plasticity and the Level of the Neuraxis- 83 The Case for Ineffective Connections- 831 Elucidation of Sub-Threshold Inputs- 832 Somatotopically Inappropriate Projections of Afferent Axons- 84 Spatial Extent of Immediate and Long-Term Changes in Somatotopic Organization- 841 Distance Limits of Somatotopic Reorganization- 842 Sprouting and Synaptogenesis in the Mature System- 843 Recovery of Function- 85 Normal Physiological Mechanisms and Plasticity- 851 Inhibitory Receptive Fields and Partial Deafferentation- 852 Neurotransmitters and Neural Systems That Regulate Sensory Input- 86 Role of Plasticity in the Mature Somatosensory System- References

The nucleus of the solitary tract in the monkey: projections to the thalamus and brain stem nuclei.

Abstract: The projections of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) were studied by autoradiographic anterograde fiber-tracing and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) retrograde cell-labeling. Tritiated proline and leucine were deposited in electrophysiologically identified regions of NST. Injections of NST at levels caudal to where the vagus enters the nucleus, from which responses were evoked by stimulation of cranial nerves IX and X, revealed topographically organized bilateral projections to, most prominently, the ventrolateral medullary reticular formation which contains neurons of the ambiguus complex, and to the lateral and medial parabrachial nuclei, including a small portion of the medially adjacent central gray substance. Labeled fibers in the ventrolateral reticular formation were present from the nucleus retroambigualis rostralward to the retrofacial nucleus, with the densest concentration located over the nucleus ambiguus proper. The parabrachial projection was confirmed using HRP and shown to originate from cells in the medial subdivision of NST. Due to the problem of fibers en passant, it was not possible to interpret conclusively the cell-labeling seen around the solitary tract after HRP injections made in the region of the nucleus ambiguus. Labeled fibers were also traced from caudal NST to the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, but their origin could not be determined with certainty. Other labeled axons, traced to circumscribed parts of the inferior olivary complex and via the contralateral medial lemniscus to VPL of the thalamus, were shown in HRP experiments to originate from the dorsal column nuclei rather than NST. No labeled fibers were traced into the spinal cord, nor were any cells labeled in NST after large HRP deposits in upper cervical segments. Isotope deposits at levels of NST rostral to the entrance of the vagus, from which responses were evoked by rapid stimulation of the tongue, revealed an ipsilateral projection which ascends as a component of the central tegmental tract to the parvicellular part of the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus (VPMpc). After small HRP deposits in VPMpc, labeled cells in NST were restricted to the rostral part of the lateral subdivision. No labeled axons were traced from rostral NST to the ambiguus complex or parabrachial area. Injections of 3H-amino acids at intermediate levels of NST resulted in fiber-labeling in VPMpc, the parabrachial area, and the ambiguus complex.

Spinal and trigeminal projections to the nucleus of the solitary tract: a possible substrate for somatovisceral and viscerovisceral reflex activation.

Abstract: This study used the retrograde transport of a protein-gold complex to examine the distribution of spinal cord and trigeminal nucleus caudalis neurons that project to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) in the rat. In the spinal grey matter, retrogradely labeled cells were common in the marginal zone (lamina I), in the lateral spinal nucleus of the dorsolateral funiculus, in the reticular part of the neck of the dorsal horn (lamina V), around the central canal (lamina X), and in the region of the thoracic and sacral autonomic cell columns. The pattern of labeling closely resembled that seen for the cells at the origin of the spinomesencephalic tract and shared some features with that of the spinoreticular and spinothalamic tracts. Labeled cells in lamina IV of the dorsal horn were only observed when injections spread dorsally, into the dorsal column nuclei, and are thus not considered to be at the origin of the spinosolitary tract. They are probably neurons of the postsynaptic fibers of the dorsal column. Retrogradely labeled cells were also numerous in the superficial laminae of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis, through its rostrocaudal extent. The pattern of marginal cell labeling appeared to be continuous with that of labeled neurons in the paratrigeminal nucleus, located in the descending tract of trigeminal nerve. Since the NST is an important relay for visceral afferents from both the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves, we suggest that the spinal and trigeminal neurons that project to the NST may be part of a larger system that integrates somatic and visceral afferent inputs from wide areas of the body. The projections may underlie somatovisceral and/or viscerovisceral reflexes, perhaps with a significant afferent nociceptive component.