Calcitonin gene-related peptide in nucleus ambiguus motoneurons in rat: viscerotopic organization.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide has been reported in the rat nucleus ambiguus. This nucleus comprises a dorsal division that is the source of special visceral efferents innervating the striated muscle of the upper alimentary tract and a ventral division supplying general visceral efferents primarily to the heart. The distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive neurons in the two divisions was determined by using a combination of immunocytochemical techniques and fluorescent retrograde tracing. In 22 rats, injections of Fluoro-Gold were made into either the supranodosal vagus nerve, palatopharynx, larynx, esophagus, or heart. Following colchicine injection, medullary sections were processed immunocytochemically for calcitonin gene-related peptide. Injection of Fluoro-Gold into the supranodosal vagus resulted in prominent labeling of neurons in the dorsal and ventral divisions of the nucleus ambiguus. The majority of fluorescent labeled neurons in the dorsal division were found to be immunoreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide, while those labeled neurons in the ventral division were unreactive for the peptide. With esophageal, and palatopharyngeal and cricothyroid injections, many fluorescent labeled neurons that were immunoreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide were found respectively in the compact and semicompact formations of the dorsal division. In contrast, injections of the heart resulted in fluorescent labeled neurons, which were unreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide, localized to the external formation. The results demonstrate that calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive neurons are localized entirely to the dorsal division of the nucleus ambiguus and that all striated muscular areas of the alimentary tract are innervated by calcitonin gene-related peptide containing motoneurons. The localization of calcitonin gene-related peptide to vagal motoneurons also known to contain acetylcholine and the increase in acetylcholine receptor synthesis caused by this peptide suggest that calcitonin gene-related peptide acts as a cotransmitter with acetylcholine in special visceral efferent vagal motoneurons.