McBride R L, Sutin J
J Comp Neurol. 1976 Feb 1;165(3):265-84. doi: 10.1002/cne.901650302.
The projections of the locus coeruleus and adjacent pontine tegmentum have been studied using anatomical and physiological methods in the cat. Axonal trajectories were traced using either the Fink-Heimer I method following electrolytic lesions, or the autoradiographic method after injection of tritiated proline into the nucleus. Results with both methods were similar. Axons of locus noeruleus neurons ascended ipsilaterally through the mesencephalon lateral to the medial longitudinal fasiculus, ventrolateral to the central gray. In the caudal diencephalon, the ascending fibers entered the centrum medianum-parafascicular complex where they diverged into two fascicles: a dorsal fascicle which terminated in the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus, and a ventral fascicle which gave off fibers to the ventrobasal complex and reticular nucleus of the thalamus while continuing centrolaterally into the lateral hypothalamus medial to the internal capsule. Fibers of the ventral fascicle ascended in the lateral hypothalamus and zona incerta and were traced through the preoptic region into the septum. Fibers could not be consistently traced to the cerebral cortex, and were not seen at all in the cerebellum. Throughout the ascending course of the path from the locus coeruleus, axons were given off to the pretectal area, the medial and lateral geniculate nuclei and the amygdala; fibers passed contralaterally through the posterior commissure, the midline thalamus, and the supraoptic commissure. Fibers descending from the locus coeruleus surrounded the intramedullary portion of the facial nerve and further caudally were observed ventrolateral to the hypoglossal and dorsal vagal nuclei. The axonal trajectories visualized with degeneration and autoradiographic methods followed closely those previously shown for reticular formation neurons, but were also similar to locus coeruleus projections revealed by histofluorescence methods. After injections of horseradish peroxidase into the centrum medianum-parafascicular complex, lateral hypothalamus or preoptic region, labeled neurons were located in the locus coeruleus, nucleus subcoeruleus, and lateral parabrachial nucleus. Reticular formation neurons were not labeled. Neurons in locus coeruleus and adjacent pontine tegmentum could be antidromically activated by stimulation in the rostral midbrain or caudal diencephalon. Our data indicate that both adrenergic and non-adrenergic neurons of the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum have similar projections.
利用解剖学和生理学方法，对猫蓝斑及相邻脑桥被盖区的投射进行了研究。采用电解损伤后的Fink-Heimer I法或向核内注射氚化脯氨酸后的放射自显影法追踪轴突轨迹。两种方法的结果相似。蓝斑神经元的轴突同侧上行，穿过中脑，位于内侧纵束外侧、中央灰质腹外侧。在尾侧间脑，上行纤维进入中央中核-束旁复合体，在那里分为两个束：一个背侧束终止于丘脑板内核，一个腹侧束发出纤维至丘脑腹侧基底复合体和网状核，同时继续向外侧进入内囊内侧的外侧下丘脑。腹侧束的纤维在外侧下丘脑和未定带中上行，并经视前区追踪至隔区。纤维不能持续追踪至大脑皮层，在小脑中也完全看不到。在从蓝斑发出的通路的整个上行过程中，轴突发出至顶盖前区、内侧和外侧膝状体核以及杏仁核；纤维经后连合、丘脑中线和视上连合对侧穿过。从蓝斑下行的纤维围绕面神经的髓内部分，在更尾侧处，在舌下神经核和迷走神经背核的腹外侧观察到。用变性法和放射自显影法显示的轴突轨迹与先前显示的网状结构神经元的轨迹密切相关，但也与组织荧光法显示的蓝斑投射相似。向中央中核-束旁复合体、外侧下丘脑或视前区注射辣根过氧化物酶后，标记的神经元位于蓝斑、蓝斑下核和外侧臂旁核。网状结构神经元未被标记。蓝斑和相邻脑桥被盖区的神经元可被中脑嘴侧或间脑尾侧的刺激逆向激活。我们的数据表明，脑桥背外侧被盖区的肾上腺素能和非肾上腺素能神经元具有相似的投射。
