Evidence for the collateral innervation of the esophagus and the heart from neurons in the compact formation of the nucleus ambiguus of the rat

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 832; no. 1-2; pp. 171 - 174
• Main Authors: Cheng, Shi-Bin, Hayakawa, Tetsu, Kuchiiwa, Satoshi, Maeda, Seishi, Ito, Hisao, Seki, Makoto, Nakagawa, Shiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier B.V 19.06.1999; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: Amidines; Animals; Benzofurans; Biological and medical sciences; Double labeling; Esophagocardiac reflex; Esophagus - innervation; Fluorescent Dyes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart - innervation; Medulla Oblongata - cytology; Medulla Oblongata - physiology; Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration; Motor Neurons - physiology; Neural Pathways - physiology; Neurons - physiology; Parasympathetic motoneuron; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Retrograde tracing; Vagus nerve; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Esophagocardiac reflex; Retrograde tracing; Vagus nerve; Double labeling; Parasympathetic motoneuron; Heart; Rat; Digestive system; Innervation; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Esophagus; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Nucleus ambiguus; Circulatory system; Parasympathetic nervous system; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(99)01429-8

We investigated whether the heart receives collateral projections from the neurons which innervate the esophagus with a retrograde double-labeling method using two fluorescent tracers. Following injections of True Blue (TB) into the esophagus and Diamidino Yellow (DY) into the heart, about 21.9% of the labeled esophageal motoneurons in the compact formation of the nucleus ambiguus (AmC) were retrogradely double labeled. No single-labeled cardiac motoneurons were found in the AmC. The present results provide anatomical substrates for the esophagocardiac reflex.