Reiner P B, Vincent S R
J Comp Neurol. 1986 Jun 22;248(4):518-31. doi: 10.1002/cne.902480405.
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 adjacent sections of the feline medulla oblongata. TH-positive neurons were found in two bilaterally symmetrical columns in the ventrolateral and dorsomedial medulla. Within the ventrolateral medulla, TH-positive neurons were found within the lateral reticular formation throughout the entire rostrocaudal extent of the medulla. In the dorsomedial medulla, TH-immunoreactive perikarya were localized to the nucleus of the tractus solitarius including the commissural subnucleus, the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, and the area postrema. DBH-positive neurons had distributions and morphologies similar to those of the TH-immunoreactive cells with three exceptions: TH-positive neurons far outnumbered DBH-positive neurons in the area postrema; slightly greater numbers of TH-positive neurons were seen in the commissural nucleus of the tractus solitarius; and, caudal to the obex, only TH-positive neurons were seen within the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. PNMT-immunoreactive neurons were found in all the nuclear regions of the medulla where both TH- and DBH-positive neurons were seen. However, the PNMT immunoreactive perikarya had a somewhat more restricted distribution along the rostrocaudal axis. In the ventrolateral medulla, PNMT-positive cells extended rostrally only as far as the retrofacial nucleus and caudally only to the obex. Within the dorsomedial medulla, PNMT immunoreactive cells were found from just rostral to the area postrema to the medullary-spinal cord junction. These findings demonstrate that the distributions of TH, DBH, and PNMT immunoreactive perikarya in the medulla of the cat are generally similar to those seen in the rat insofar as these neurons are arranged in longitudinal columns in both species. However, significant differences exist with regard to the cytoarchitectonic borders within which immunoreactive perikarya can be found and the rostrocaudal extent of the PNMT-positive cell groups in these two species.
在猫延髓的相邻切片中，研究了对儿茶酚胺合成酶酪氨酸羟化酶（TH）、多巴胺-β-羟化酶（DBH）和苯乙醇胺-N-甲基转移酶（PNMT）呈免疫反应的神经元的分布和形态特征。在延髓腹外侧和背内侧的两个双侧对称柱中发现了TH阳性神经元。在腹外侧延髓内，在整个延髓的头尾范围内，外侧网状结构中均发现了TH阳性神经元。在背内侧延髓中，TH免疫反应性核周体定位于孤束核，包括连合亚核、迷走神经背运动核和最后区。DBH阳性神经元的分布和形态与TH免疫反应性细胞相似，但有三个例外：最后区TH阳性神经元的数量远多于DBH阳性神经元；在孤束核连合核中可见的TH阳性神经元数量略多；在闩尾侧，迷走神经背运动核内仅见TH阳性神经元。在延髓所有同时发现TH和DBH阳性神经元的核区域中均发现了PNMT免疫反应性神经元。然而，PNMT免疫反应性核周体在头尾轴上的分布范围有所限制。在腹外侧延髓中，PNMT阳性细胞向前仅延伸至面神经后核，向后仅延伸至闩。在背内侧延髓内，从最后区稍前方至延髓脊髓交界处均发现了PNMT免疫反应性细胞。这些发现表明，猫延髓中TH、DBH和PNMT免疫反应性核周体的分布与大鼠中所见的分布总体相似，因为这两个物种中的这些神经元均排列成纵向柱。然而，在这两个物种中，可发现免疫反应性核周体的细胞构筑边界以及PNMT阳性细胞群的头尾范围存在显著差异。
