Summary
The origin of the spinal cord noradrenaline (NA) has been investigated by means of the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) method, combined with monoamine oxidase staining (Glenner) to identify the NA neurons. Following the injection of HRP to the various levels of rat spinal cord, cervical to sacral cord, A1–3, 5–7 NA neuron groups were labeled with HRP. They showed almost the same distribution pattern regardless of difference in the injected segment. Labeled NA neurons in A6 were concentrated in the ventral division of the locus coeruleus, which continued to the labeled NA neurons in the subcoeruleus area. The HRP positive neurons in the pons outnumbered those of the medulla oblongata. As the NA neurons described above were considered to be the source of NA in the forebrain, such as the hypothalamus and preoptic area, the possibility that the same NA neurons might innervate both the forebrain and spinal cord has been presented.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andén, N.-E., Carlsson, A., Häggendal, J.: Adrenergic mechanisms. Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. 9, 119–134 (1969)
Anderson, E.G., Holgerson, L.O.: The distribution of 5-hydroxytryptamine and norepinephrine in cat spinal cord. J. Neurochem. 13, 479–485 (1966)
Broadwell, R.D., Brightman, M.W.: Entry of peroxidase into neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems from extracerebral and cerebral blood. J. comp. Neurol. 166, 257–284 (1976)
Carlsson, A., Falck, B., Fuxe, K., Hillarp, N.-Å.: Cellular localization of monoamines in the spinal cord. Acta physiol. scand. 60, 112–119 (1964)
Chu, N.-S., Bloom, F.E.: The catecholamine-containing neurons in the cat dorsolateral pontine tegmentum: Distribution of the cell bodies and some axonal projections. Brain Res. 66, 1–21 (1974)
Dahlström, A., Fuxe, K.: Evidence for the existence of monoamine-contaming neurons in the central nervous system. I. Demonstration of monoamines in the cell bodies of brain stem neurons. Acta physiol. scand. 62, Suppl. 232, 1–55 (1964)
Dahlström, A., Fuxe, K.: Evidence for the existence of monoamine-containing neurons in the central nervous system. II. Experimentally induced changes in the intraneuronal amine levels of bulbospinal neuron systems. Acta physiol. scand. 64, Suppl. 247, 1–36 (1965)
Freedman, R., Foote, S.L., Bloom, F.E.: Histochemical characterization of a neocortical projection of the nucleus locus coeruleus in the squirrel minkey. J. comp. Neurol. 164, 209–232 (1975)
Glenner, G.G., Burtner, H.J., Brown, G.W., Jr.: The histochemical demonstration of monoamine oxidase activity by tetrazolium salts. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 5, 591–600 (1957)
Grossmann, W., Jurna, I., Nell, T.: The effect of reserpine and DOPA on reflex activity in the rat spinal cord. Exp. Brain Res. 22, 351–361 (1975)
Häggendal, J., Dahlström, A.: The time course of noradrenaline decrease in rat spinal cord following transection. Neuropharmacol. 12, 349–354 (1973)
Hashimoto, P.H., Maeda, T., Torii, K., Shimizu, N.: Histochemical demonstration of autonomic regions in the central nervous system of rabbit by means of a monoamine oxidase staining. Med. J. Osaka Univ. 12, 425–465 (1962)
Hökfelt, T.: On the ultrastructural localization of noradrenaline in the central nervous system of the rat. Z. Zellforsch. 79, 110–117 (1967)
Itakura, T., Yamamoto, K., Tohyama, M., Shimizu, N.: Central dual innervation of arterioles in the brain. Stroke 8, 360–365 (1977)
Keefer, D.A., Christ, J.F.: Distribution of endogenous diaminobenzidine-staining cells in the normal rat brain. Brain Res. 116, 312–316 (1976)
Kievit, J., Kuypers, H.G.J.M.: Subcortical afferents to the frontal lobe in the rhesus monkey studied by means of retrograde horseradish peroxidase transport. Brain Res. 85, 261–266 (1975)
Koda, L.Y., Bloom, F.E.: A light and electron microscopic study of noradrenergic terminals in the rat dentate gyrus. Brain Res. 120, 327–335 (1977)
Konishi, M.: Fluorescence microscopy of the spinal cord of the dog, with special reference to the autonomic lateral horn cells. Arch. histol. jap. 30, 33–44 (1968)
Kristensson, K., Olsson, Y., Sjöstrand, J.: Axonal uptake and retrograde transport of exogenous proteins in the hypoglossal nerve. Brain Res. 32, 399–406 (1971)
Kuypers, H.G.J.M., Maisky, V.A.: Retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase from spinal cord to brain stem cell groups in the cat. Neurosci. Letters 1, 9–14 (1975)
La Vail, J., La Vail, M.: Retrograde axonal transport in the central nervous system. Science 176, 1416–1418 (1972)
Leger, L., Sakai, K., Salvert, D., Touret, M., Jouvet, M.: Delineation of dorsal lateral geniculate afferents from the cat brain stem as visualized by the horseradish peroxidase technique. Brain Res. 93, 490–496 (1975)
Lindvall, O., Björklund, A.: The organization of the ascending catecholamine neuron systems in the rat brain: As revealed by the glyoxylic acid fluorescence method. Acta physiol. scand. Suppl. 412, 1–48 (1974)
Ljungdahl, Å., Hökfelt, T., Golstein, M., Park, D.: Retrograde peroxidase tracing of neurons combined with transmitter histochemistry. Brain Res. 84, 313–319 (1975)
Loizou, J.A.: Projections of the nucleus locus coeruleus in the albino rat. Brain Res. 15, 563–566 (1969)
Maeda, T.: Histochemical relationship between monoamine oxidase and biogenic monoamines in the brain. Acta Histochem. Cytochem. 3, 222–223 (1970) Abstract
Maeda, T., Shimizu, N.: Projections ascendantes du locus coeruleus et d'autres neurones aminergiques au niveau du prosencephale du rat. Brain Res. 36, 19–35 (1972)
Maeda, T., Pin, C., Salvert, D., Ligier, M., Jouvet, M.: Les neurones contenant des catécholamines du tegmentum politique et leurs voies de projection chez le chat. Brain Res. 57, 119–152 (1973)
Maeda, T., Kashiba, A., Tohyama, M., Hori, M., Itakura, T., Shimizu, N.: Aminergic terminals and their contacts demonstrated by in situ fixation of endogenous monoamine with potassium permanganate. Brain Res. (in press)
Mensah, P., Finger, T.: Neuromelanin: a source of possible error in HRP material. Brain Res. 98, 183–188 (1975)
Novikoff, A.B., Biempica, L., Beard, M., Dominitz, R.: Visualization by diaminobenzidine of norepinephrine cells, premelanosomes and melanosomes. J. Microscopic 12, 297–300 (1971)
Olson, L., Fuxe, K.: Further mapping out of central noradrenaline neuron systems: Projections of the ‘subcoeruleus’ area. Brain Res. 43, 289–295 (1972)
Ochi, J., Konishi, M., Yoshikawa, H., Sano, Y.: Fluorescence and electron microscopic evidence for the dual innervation of the iris sphincter muscle of the rabbit. Z. Zellforsch. 91, 90–95 (1968)
Richardson, K.C.: Electron microscopic identification of autonomic nerve endings. Nature (Lond.) 210, 756 (1966)
Pickel, V.M., Segal, M., Bloom, F.E.: A radioautographic study of the efferent pathways of the nucleus locus coeruleus. J. comp. Neurol. 155, 15–42 (1974)
Sachs, C., Jonsson, G., Fuxe, K.: Mapping of central noradrenaline pathways with 6-hydroxy-dopa. Brain Res. 63, 249–261 (1973)
Sastry, B.S.R., Sinclair, J.G.: Tonic inhibitory influence of a supraspinal monoaminergic system on recurrent inhibition of an extensor monosynaptic reflex. Brain Res. 117, 69–76 (1976)
Satoh, K., Yamamoto, T., Sakumoto, T., Tohyama, M., Shimizu, N.: Combination of HRP-method with Glenner's MAO staining. Proc. Vth Internat. Congr. Histochem. Cytochem. 304–305 (1976)
Shimizu, N., Morikawa, N., Okada, M.: Histochemical studies of monoamine oxidase of the brain of rodents. Z. Zellforsch. 49, 389–400 (1959)
Shimizu, N., Ohnishi, S., Tohyama, M., Maeda, T.: Demonstration by degeneration silver method of the ascending projection from the locus coeruleus. Exp. Brain Res. 20, 181–192 (1974)
Tohyama, M., Maeda, T., Shimizu, N.: Detailed noradrenaline pathways of locus coeruleus neuron ot the cerebral cortex with use of 6-hydroxydopa. Brain Res. 79, 139–144 (1974a)
Tohyama, M., Maeda, T., Hashimoto, J., Shirestha, G.R., Tamura, O., Shimizu, N.: Comparative anatomy of the locus coeruleus. I. Organization and ascending projections of the catecholamine containing neurons in the pontine region of the bird, Melopsittacus undulatus. J. Hirnforsch. 15, 319–330 (1974b)
Tohyama, M.: Comparative anatomy of cerebellar catecholamine innervation from teleosts to mammals. J. Hirnforsch. 17, 43–60 (1976)
Ungerstedt, U.: Stereotaxic mapping of the monoamine pathways in the rat brain. Acta physiol. scand. Suppl. 367, 1–48 (1971)
Wong Riley, M.T.T.: Endogenous peroxidatic activity in brain stem neurons as demonstrated by their staining with diaminobenzidine in normal squirrel monkeys. Brain Res. 108, 257–277 (1976)
Zivin, J.A., Reid, J.L., Saavedra, J.M., Kopin, I.J.: Quantitative localization of biogenic amines in the spinal cord. Brain Res. 99, 293–301 (1975)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Satoh, K., Tohyama, M., Yamamoto, K. et al. Noradrenaline innervation of the spinal cord studied by the horseradish peroxidase method combined with monoamine oxidase staining. Exp Brain Res 30, 175–186 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237249
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237249