The raphe nuclei of the brain stem in the cat. III. Afferent connections

1960 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alf Brodal ◽  
Fred Walberg ◽  
Elizabeth Taber
1971 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Narikashvili ◽  
V. S. Arutyunov ◽  
T. G. Tatevosyan

1960 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alf Brodal ◽  
Elizabeth Taber ◽  
Fred Walberg

1979 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. McCreery ◽  
J. R. Bloedel ◽  
E. G. Hames

1. The purpose of these experiments was to compare effects of electrical stimuli applied in two regions of the brain stem that are the sites of origin of descending bulbospinal systems; namely, the nucleus gigantocellularis of Brodal (7) and the nucleus raphe magnus, on the responses of lumbosacral spinothalamic neurons to mechanical stimuli. 2. In cats anesthetized with alpha-chloralose, stimulating in either of these structures with single pulses of current while the spinothalamic neuron was tonically activated by a sustained mechanical pressure resulted in an increase in the excitability of the cell followed by a prolonged suppression of its impulse activity. 3. For different neurons, the latency of the excitation ranged from 4 to 18 ms following the brain stem stimulus, while the latency of the suppression ranged from 16 to 34 ms. 4. In general, the effects of stimulating in the reticular formation and in the raphe nuclei were similar. although quantitative differences were found in the effects of each on different spinothalamic neurons. On the basis of these two studies, it is argued that the reticulospinal and raphe-spinal systems exert qualitatively similar effects on the responses of spinothalamic neurons evaluated in this experiment. 5. A comparison of the magnitudes of the suppression phase evoked from several different sites in the ipsilateral reticular formation and nucleus raphe magnus suggests that the descending systems arising from both these structures may be quite heterogeneous. 6. Stimulation of both regions of the brain stem produced a much greater suppression of the response of the spinothalamic neurons to slowly changing or sustained mechanical stimuli than to transient stimuli. It is suggested that the effects of descending systems arising both in the raphe nuclei and in the reticular formation on the responses of spinothalamic neurons to a mechanical stimulus are at least as dependent on the time course of the mechanical stimulus as they are on its intensity.


1979 ◽  
Vol 187 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Felten ◽  
John P. Cummings

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 484-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Geisler ◽  
Michael Trimble

In this contribution to the CNS Spectrums neuroanatomy series, Stefanie Geisler, MD, discusses the lateral habenula (LHb). This nuclear complex is one of the areas of the brain that forms part of the cross-talk between limbic fore-brain and some important ascending modulatory pathways. Situated at the caudal end of the dorsal diencephalon and classically regarded as projecting largely to the brainstem, including the serotoninergic raphe nuclei, the LHb receives afferents from widespread forebrain areas. Therefore, the LHb is able to influence serotonin tone in the brain, and has long interested neuroanatomists as a potential limbic-motor interface. Nonetheless, the LHb was not much discussed outside neuroanatomical circles until recently, when it was discovered that its impact on the mesotelencephalic dopamine system is probably much greater than had been assumed. The LHb has become a hot topic. This article-addresses these developments and emphasizes the clinical relevance of this interesting brain structure.


Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 2398-2407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Ogawa ◽  
Kai We Ng ◽  
Priveena Nair Ramadasan ◽  
Fatima Megala Nathan ◽  
Ishwar S. Parhar

The Kiss1/KISS1 gene has recently been implicated as a potent hypothalamic regulator of reproductive functions, in particular, the onset of puberty in mammals. In zebrafish (Danio rerio), there are two kiss1 homologues (kiss1 and kiss2) expressed in the brain: Kiss2-expressing neurons in the hypothalamic nuclei are considered potent regulators of reproduction, whereas the role of Kiss1-expressing neurons in the habenula remains unknown. We first analyzed the expression of kiss1 mRNA in a transgenic zebrafish, in which the habenula-interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) pathway is labelled with green fluorescent protein, and our application of a biocytin neural tracer into the habenula showed the presence of neuronal projections of Kiss1 neurons to the ventral IPN. Therefore, we speculated that kiss1 neurons might regulate the serotonergic system in the raphe. However, laser microdissection followed by real-time PCR revealed the expression of Kiss1 receptor (kissr1) mRNA in the habenula and the ventral IPN but not in the dorsal IPN or the serotonergic neurons in the raphe nuclei. Dual-fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed the coexpression of kiss1 and kissr1 mRNA in the habenula. Administration of Kiss1 significantly decreased the level of kiss1 mRNA (0.3- to 0.5-fold, P < 0.001), but the level of c-fos mRNA was increased (∼3-fold, P < 0.05) in the ventral habenula, suggesting that there is autocrine regulation of the kiss1 gene. Kiss1 administration significantly increased the c-fos mRNA levels in the raphe nuclei (2.5-fold, P < 0.001) and genes involved in the regulation of serotonin levels (pet1 and slc6a4a; 3.3- and 2.2-fold, P < 0.01). These findings suggest that the autocrine-regulated habenular Kiss1 neurons indirectly regulate the serotonergic system in the raphe nuclei through the IPN in the zebrafish.


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