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Immunohistochemical demonstration of regionally selective projections from locus coeruleus to the vestibular nuclei in rats

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Summary

This study describes a regionally selective projection of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine β -hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers from locus coeruleus (LC) and the A4 region of nucleus subcoeruleus to the vestibular nuclear complex in Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley rats. These fibers travel in two distinct pathways. A lateral descending noradrenergic bundle provides input from LC to the superior vestibular nucleus (SVN), the cochlear nuclei, and the cerebellar cortex. A medial descending noradrenergic bundle provides input to the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN), medial vestibular nucleus (MVN), and the inferior vestibular nucleus (IVN) before continuing on to the cochlear and cerebellar nuclei. The terminal plexus of these fibers varies markedly across these vestibular nuclear regions. Immunoreactive axons form a dense plexus around somata and proximal dendrites of Deiters' neurons in dorsal LVN. The axon plexus is less dense in SVN and ventral LVN, and relatively sparse in MVN and IVN. This regional selectivity of noradrenergic innervation suggests that central adrenergic systems may selectively modulate vestibulospinal reflexes at the level of the vestibular nuclear complex.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, Anatomy, and Cell Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    R. J. Schuerger

  2. Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurobiology, Anatomy, and Cell Science, University of Pittsburgh, The Eye and Ear Institutes of Pittsburgh, 203 Lothrop Street, 15213, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    C. D. Balaban

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  1. R. J. Schuerger
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  2. C. D. Balaban
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Schuerger, R.J., Balaban, C.D. Immunohistochemical demonstration of regionally selective projections from locus coeruleus to the vestibular nuclei in rats. Exp Brain Res 92, 351–359 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229022

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229022

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