The distributions and morphological characteristics of neurons displaying immunoreactivity to the catecholamine synthetic enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) were examined in the adjacent sections of the whole brain in the Striped Field Mouse (Apodemus agrarius coreae) The medulla oblongata were divided into 3 parts (rostral medulla oblongata, area postrema portion of medulla oblongata and caudal medulla oblongata) in this study. In the rostral medulla oblongata, adrenergic (TH-, DBH- and PNMT-positive) neurons were found in dorsal motor nucleus of vagus, nucleus tractus solitarius, dorsal strip and medial longitudinal fasciculus. In the ventrolateral medullary tegmentum of rostral medulla oblongata, adrenergic neurons were found between gigantocellular reticular nucleus and paragigantocellular reticular nucleus. In the area postrema portion of medulla oblongata, noradrenergic neurons were found in the nucleus tractus solitarius, and area postrema. And dopaminergic or adrenergic neurons were also found in dorsal motor nucleus of vagus. In the caudal medulla oblongata, noradrenergic neurons were found in the medial part of nucleus tractus solitarius and superior part of the lateral reticular nucleus.
Adrenergic Neurons ; Animals ; Area Postrema ; Brain ; Immunohistochemistry ; Medulla Oblongata* ; Mice ; Murinae* ; Neurons* ; Solitary Nucleus ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase* ; Tyrosine*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Medulla Oblongata* ; Putrescine* ; Rats*

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of treatment with tryptophan and/or reserpine on the raphe of medulla oblongata and mid brain of the rats (180~200 g body weight). the animal were injected i.p. with reserpine (5 mg/kg) for 3 days and tryptophan (15 mg/kg) for 20 days. The results by immunohistochemical methods were as follows: 1. Serotonin-immunoreactive neurons in the raphe of medulla oblongata and mid brain decrease in reserpine treated group compared to all the other group. 2. Serotonin-immunoreactive neurons in the raphe of medulla oblongata and mid brain were increased in tryptophan -reserpine treated group compared to the reserpine treated group but not the tryptophan treated group. 3. Serotonin-immunoreactive neurons in the raphe of medulla oblongata and mid brain were inceased in tryptophan treated group compared to all the other group. The experiments indicated that serotonin immunoreactive neurons in medulla oblongata and mid brain increased due to the activation of tryptophan and decreased by suppressing activation of tryptophan through reserpine.
Animals ; Brain ; Medulla Oblongata* ; Mesencephalon* ; Neurons ; Raphe Nuclei* ; Rats* ; Reserpine* ; Serotonin ; Tryptophan*

AIMTo determine the role of area postrema (AP) of rabbit in the regulation of cardiovascular function.

METHODSThe rabbits were anesthetized with intravenous injection of 10% urethane and 1% chloralose, and were artificially ventilated. The changes of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were observed when AP was electrically stimulated with different frequency (10 Hz -80 Hz) and after chemical lesion of CVLM or RVLM, respectively.

RESULTSElectrical stimulation of AP with low frequency (10 Hz, 20 Hz) decreased MAP and HR. Stimulation with high frequency(60 Hz, 80 Hz) increased MAP but decreased HR. The changes in MAP and HR were significantly lower (P < 0.01) after CVLM was destroyed when electrical stimulation of AP with 20 Hz, and both changes of MAP and HR were disappeared (P < 0.01) after RVLM was destroyed when electrical stimulation with 20 and 80 Hz.

CONCLUSIONElectrical stimulation of AP with low frequency decreases MAP and HR, stimulation with high frequency induces an increase in MAP and decreases in HR. The former is probably related to excitation of CVLM, the cardiovascular effects induced by different frequency of electrical stimulation are all resulted from the activation of RVLM.

Animals ; Area Postrema ; physiology ; radiation effects ; Blood Pressure ; radiation effects ; Electric Stimulation ; Heart Rate ; radiation effects ; Male ; Medulla Oblongata ; physiology ; radiation effects ; Rabbits

Cerebral lesions can cause dermatomal sensory deficit. The most commonly reported site is the medulla oblongata due to its well-separated sensory systems. Dermatomal sensory deficit that has developed after pontine infarctions have been reported in several cases, the majority of which involved the medial lemniscus. However, restricted spinothalamic sensory loss has rarely been reported in pontine infarctions. We report herein a patient who presented with dermatomal spinothalamic sensory deficits below the tenth thoracic level after pontine infarction.
Humans ; Infarction ; Medulla Oblongata ; Spinothalamic Tracts

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is characterized by a characteristic clinical presentation or positivity for the anti-aquaporin-4 antibody. Lesions involving the dorsal medulla are typical of NMOSD, but isolated tongue paralysis has not been reported previously. We report a rare case of NMOSD presenting with isolated tongue paralysis and swelling due to intrinsic tongue muscle paralysis, which was caused by bilateral involvement of the hypoglossal nuclei in the lower dorsal medulla oblongata.
Medulla Oblongata ; Neuromyelitis Optica* ; Paralysis* ; Tongue*

Medullary respiratory centers are composed of two respiratory groups: dorsal and ventral. A dorsal respiratory group consists primarily of inspiratory neurons. A ventral respiratory group consists both of inspiratory and expiratory neurons. A direct infarction of their structure may lead to a complete loss of respiratory drive involving both automatic and voluntary components. A 78-year-old man was admitted with sudden dysarthria, dizziness, and bilateral ophthalmoplegia. On the second and third hospital day, he nearly had a complete loss of respiratory drive involving both automatic and voluntary components. He did not get the respiratory drive during CO2 retention while consciousness and motor were preserved. Brain MRI showed unilateral lesions involving the medullary reticular formation, nucleus tractus solitarius, nucleus ambiguus, and nucleus retroambiguus but sparing the corticospinal tract. Unilateral medullary infarction may lead to severe respiratory failures not limited to automatic responses, which differentiates it from Ondine's curse.
Aged ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction ; Consciousness ; Dizziness ; Dysarthria ; Humans ; Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Medulla Oblongata ; Neurons ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Pyramidal Tracts ; Respiratory Center ; Respiratory Insufficiency* ; Reticular Formation ; Solitary Nucleus

Because of its broad range of activities, BDNF is being tested or considered for treatment of a variety of neurodegen-erative diseases. However, a discrepancy exists in the literature concerning the localization of BDNF-immunoreactive (IR) structures in the brain. We performed, therefore, immunohistochemistry to investigate the regional distribution of BDNF-IR neurons and axon terminals in the rat brain. The results obtained were as follows; Telencephalon : BDNF-IR neurons were found in the anterior olfactory nucleus (n.), the piriform cortex, the neocortex, the lateral septum, the claustrum, the pyramidal layer of CA2 and CA3, the basolateral amygdaloid n. and the bed n. of the stria terminalis. BDNF-IR axon terminals were localized in the lateral septum, the stratum lucidum of CA2 and CA3, the hilum, the dentate gyrus, the central amygdaloid n. and the bed n. of the stria terminalis. Diencephalon : BDNF-IR neurons were demonstrated in the medial geniculate n., the mammillary n. and the ventromedial hypothalamic n. In the anteromedial thalamic n., the anteroventral thalamic n., the paraventricular thalamic n., the lateral geniculate n. and the medial habenular n., densely stained IR terminals were found. Midbrain : BDNF-IR terminals were localized in the substantia nigra, the ventral tegmental area and the periaqueductal gray. Pons : Densely stained IR terminals were found in the ventral tegmental n. and the parabranchial n.. BDNF-IR neurons were localized in the inferior colliculus, the pontine n. and the motor trigeminal n. Medulla oblongata : BDNF-IR neurons were found in the inferior olive n. and the area postrema. IR terminals were localized in the inferior olive n., the lateral reticular n., the dorsal cap of Kooy, the n. tractus solitarious and the spinal trigeminal n. The results show that BDNF-IR neurons and terminals are distributed in numerous structures of the brain and that BDNF may be related with a various function of the regions.
Animals ; Area Postrema ; Axons* ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain* ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Central Nervous System ; Dentate Gyrus ; Diencephalon ; Immunohistochemistry ; Inferior Colliculi ; Medulla Oblongata ; Mesencephalon ; Neocortex ; Neurons* ; Olea ; Periaqueductal Gray ; Pons ; Presynaptic Terminals* ; Rats* ; Substantia Nigra ; Telencephalon ; Ventral Tegmental Area

Medial medullary syndrome is a clinical disorder charactenzed by ipsilateral paralysis of tongue and contralateral hemiparalysis and contralateral hemisensory disturbance of vibration or position but face sparing. The syndrome is ususlly due to lesion of medial medulla oblongata. Involved structures are pyramid, hypoglossal nucleus, medial lemniscus and/or medial longitudinal fasciculus. We present 1 case of medial medullary syndrome with MRI finding, which showed infarction of left medial medulla oblongata.
Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Medulla Oblongata ; Paralysis ; Tongue ; Vibration

Expression of c-Fos, an immediate early gene, has accepted to be a marker of functional activity in neurons. This study was aimed to investigate the dental pain pathway and the affection of dental pain on other brain regions such as the cardiovascular regulation center using c-Fos immunohistochemistry. Expression of c-Fos in Sprague Dawley rats weighting 300 ~350 gm was examined 1.5 hr after dental pain elicited by intrapulpal injecton of 2 M KCl into upper and lower incisor pulps exposed by bone cutter. c-Fos positive neurons were demonstrated in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis and the ventroposterior medial nucleus of thalamus known to be a sharp pathway. Dental pain enhanced mean arterial pressure and heart rate. In addition, c-Fos expression was induced in the rostral ventrolateral nucleus of medulla oblongata, nucleus tractus solitarius, paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus of hypothalamus, central presser areas of systemic blood pressure. These results suggest that trigeminal nucleus caudalis and ventroposterior medial nucleus of thalamus plays vital roles in the transmission of dental pain besides, dental pain affected the central cardiovescular regulation centers, resulting to the elevation of systemic blood pressure.
Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Brain ; Heart Rate ; Hypothalamus ; Immunohistochemistry ; Incisor* ; Medulla Oblongata ; Neurons ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reflex* ; Solitary Nucleus ; Supraoptic Nucleus ; Thalamus ; Trigeminal Nuclei