Descending pathways from hypothalamus to dorsal motor vagus and ambiguus nuclei in the rat.

The anatomical pathways between the hypothalamus and cell groups of the lower medulla that are involved in the neural control of endocrine pancreas activity were investigated. As part of this control system the descending pathways originating from lateral, dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei towards the dorsal motor vagus and ambiguus nuclei, were studied by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. Very small injections of the tracer, by means of the iontophoretic delivery method, were placed in the dorsal motor vagus, ambiguus and solitary tract nucleus as well as in the various nuclei of the medullary reticular formation. Subsequent retrograde labeling was studied in the hypothalamus and the brainstem. The appearance of considerable retrograde labeling in mesencephalic periventricular grey and rostral mesencephalic reticular formation indicated a possible role for these structures as intermediates in an indirect hypothalamo-medullary control circuitry. This led us to extend the peroxidase injections to these mesencephalic areas after which the hypothalamus was investigated for retrograde labeling. All data combined indicated the existence of three descending pathways, direct and indirect, between hypothalamus and the parasympathetic motor nuclei of the lower medulla.