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Volume 17, Number 10,
Issue of May 15, 1997
pp. 3751-3765
Copyright ©1997 Society for Neuroscience
Transneuronal Labeling of a Nociceptive Pathway, the
Spino-(Trigemino-)Parabrachio-Amygdaloid, in the Rat
Luc Jasmin1,
Adam R. Burkey1,
J. Patrick Card2, and
Allan I. Basbaum3
1 Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC
20007, 2 Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, University
of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, and 3 W. M. Keck Foundation Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Departments of
Anatomy and Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San
Francisco, California 94143
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
FOOTNOTES
REFERENCES
ABSTRACT
Transneuronal tracing of a nociceptive pathway, the
spino-(trigemino)-parabrachio-amygdaloid pathway, was performed using an -herpes virus, the Bartha strain of pseudorabies virus (PRV). Microinjection of PRV into the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce)
resulted in progressive retrograde and transneuronal infection of a
multisynaptic circuit involving neurons in the brainstem and spinal
cord as detected immunocytochemically. At short survival (26 hr),
retrogradely labeled neurons were concentrated in the external lateral
nucleus of the parabrachial complex (elPB) but were absent from both
the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) and the spinal cord. At longer
survivals (52 hr), labeled cells were present in lamina I of both the
TNC and spinal dorsal horn. Retrograde labeling from the Ce with
Fluoro-gold demonstrated that elPB neurons have long dendrites
extending laterally into the terminal field of spinal and trigeminal
afferents, where transneuronal passage of PRV to these afferents could
occur. Even longer survivals (76 hr) resulted in a columnar pattern of
cell labeling in the TNC and spinal dorsal horn that extended from
lamina I into lamina II. At this longest survival, primary sensory
neurons became infected. Bilateral excitotoxic lesions of the elPB
blocked almost all viral passage from the Ce to superficial laminae of
the TNC and spinal dorsal horn. These results demonstrate that
nociceptive input to the amygdala is relayed from neurons in lamina I
through the elPB. We propose that this modular arrangement of lamina I
and II neurons may provide the basis for spinal processing of
peripheral input to the amygdala.
Key words:
pain pathways;
amygdala;
superficial dorsal horn;
parabrachial nucleus;
spinal processing;
viral tracer;
PRV;
pseudorabies virus
INTRODUCTION
The central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) is the
terminal area of a major ascending nociceptive pathway, the
spino-(trigemino)-parabrachio-amygdaloid tract (Bernard and Besson,
1992 ). Most Ce neurons respond to noxious, but not innocuous, stimuli
(Bernard and Besson, 1990 ; Bernard et al., 1992 ). The main source of
afferents to the Ce is the external lateral parabrachial nucleus (elPB)
(Saper, 1995 ). Previous anatomical studies have, however, failed to
demonstrate a significant projection from the spinal dorsal horns and
trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) to the elPB (Blomqvist et al., 1989 ).
Rather, afferents from nociceptive regions of the dorsal horn, laminae
I and V, terminate in nuclei located in the lateral parabrachial area
surrounding the elPB, none of which project to the amygdala (Bernard et
al., 1995 ; Feil and Herbert, 1995 ; Saper, 1995 ).
To explain this discrepancy, it has been proposed that elPB neurons
might have long dendrites that extend into the external nuclear layer
where spinal and trigeminal afferents terminate (Blomqvist et al.,
1989 ; Saper, 1995 ). There is ultrastructural evidence that spinal and
trigeminal afferents contact amygdala projection neurons in the lateral
parabrachial area (Ma and Peschanski, 1988 ), but in this study, neither
the laminae of origin of the spinal and trigeminal neurons nor the
subnuclear location of these synapses within the lateral parabrachial
complex was determined. The possibility remains, therefore, that
parabrachial interneurons convey spinal and trigeminal information to
the elPB nucleus or that parabrachial nuclei other than the elPB relay
nociceptive input to the Ce.
The present study uses pseudorabies virus (PRV), a transneuronal
retrograde tracer, to identify the pathway by which nociceptive information is transmitted from the spinal dorsal horn and TNC to the
Ce via the parabrachial nuclei. This virus retrogradely infects
synaptically connected neurons in the CNS after injection into various
peripheral organs (Card and Enquist, 1994 ; Loewy, 1995 ) and, as found
more recently, after direct injection in the CNS (Kaufman et al., 1996 ;
O'Donnell et al., 1997 ). The latter studies, however, revealed
problems specific to CNS injection; in particular, it has not been
possible to determine the extent of the injection site histologically.
Thus, as part of our analysis of the afferent connections of the Ce, we
have also performed a rigorous comparison of the extent and pattern of
retrograde labeling with traditional tracers injected either alone or
coinjected with PRV. Because PRV immunolabeling does not persist at the
injection site, we also coinjected PRV with colloidal gold, which
permanently labeled the site. Finally, by varying survival times, we
were also able to study the temporal pattern of transneuronal transport from the Ce to the parabrachial nuclei and from there to the spinal cord, to the trigeminal nucleus caudalis, and to the trigeminal ganglion cells.
Our results suggest that the input from the spinal cord and trigeminal
nucleus caudalis to the Ce is predominantly from lamina I neurons via
connections in the elPB. We also demonstrate that these lamina I
projection neurons receive a convergent innervation from primary
sensory neurons and from columns of small cells located in the
substantia gelatinosa immediately subjacent to lamina I.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-seven male Sprague Dawley rats (270-300 gm, Bantin and
Kingman) were used in the study. All animals were exposed to light 12 hr/d; food and water were available ad libidum. Procedures for the maintenance and use of the experimental animals conformed to
the regulations of Georgetown University and the University of
California, San Francisco Committees on Animal Research and were
performed in accordance with the guidelines of the National Institutes
of Health regulations on animal use (National Institutes of Health,
1988).
Tracers. The Bartha strain of PRV (a generous gift from Dr.
Lynn Enquist, Princeton University) was used for all experiments that
involved virus injections. The Bartha strain is an attenuated strain of
PRV that reliably labels various neural pathways via transneuronal
transport, including visual (Card et al., 1991 ), autonomic (Card et
al., 1990 ; Strack and Loewy, 1990 ), and somatic pathways (Martin and
Dolivo, 1983 ; Rouiller et al., 1986 ; Jasmin et al., 1997 ). The titer of
the virus was 1 × 108 pfu/ml of culture medium.
Aliquots (100 µl) of the virus were kept in the freezer ( 80°C),
and, on each experimental day, an aliquot was thawed and kept on ice
until injected. Fluoro-gold (Fluorochrome Inc., Englewood, CO) was used
at a dilution of 4% in double-distilled water. Cholera toxin B (List
Biological Lab, Campbell, CA) was used at a dilution of 1% in the
virus suspension.
Surgery. During the surgical procedure, the animals were
maintained under anesthesia with a mixture of ketamine (60 mg/kg) and
xylazine (7.0 mg/kg) injected intramuscularly. For surgeries lasting
more than 40 min, an additional dose of ketamine (20 mg/kg) was given.
Animals were placed in a stereotaxic apparatus (David Kopf Instruments)
using nonperforating ear bars. Coordinates for the central nucleus of
amygdala (rostrocaudal, 6.2; mediolateral, 4.3; dorsoventral, 7.2) and
lateral parabrachial area, (rostrocaudal, 0.16; mediolateral, 2.1;
dorsoventral, 6.3) were taken from the atlas of Paxinos and Watson
(1986) using the interaural reference point. Injections were made with
a glass micropipette with a tip diameter of 40 µm connected to a 1 ml
Hamilton syringe. A small burr hole was made above the target, the dura
mater was then opened, and the pipette was directed stereotaxically to
the target. The tracer (Table 1) was injected slowly
over 20 nl/min into the right amygdala or lateral parabrachial area.
The pipette was left in the brain for an additional 15 min; this
waiting period prevented tracer leakage along the injection tract. For
virus injection, care was taken to clean the external surface of the
pipette after loading to minimize the chance of inoculation of the
brain surface or the tissue along the pipette's trajectory.
Table 1.
Injections
| Case |
Target |
Volume injected
(nl) |
Survival |
|
| 1 |
Ce |
200
PRV |
48 hr |
| 8 |
Ce |
200 PRV |
52 hr |
| 26 |
Ce |
200
PRV |
48 hr |
| 40 |
Ce |
300 PRV |
48 hr |
| 46 |
Ce |
200 PRV + 1% CTB |
48 hr |
| 47 |
Ce |
200 PRV |
26 hr |
| 48 |
Ce |
200
PRV |
82 hr |
| 49 |
Ce |
200 PRV |
48 hr |
| 50 |
Ce |
200
PRV |
96 hr |
| 51 |
Lateral PB |
200 PRV + 1% CTB |
96
hr |
| 52 |
Lateral PB |
200 PRV |
75 hr |
| 60 |
Ce |
50 FG |
7
d |
| 61 |
Ce |
40 FG |
7 d |
| 62 |
Ce |
40 FG |
7
d |
| 67 |
Ce |
40 FG |
7 d |
| 69 |
Lateral PB |
50 PRV |
120
hr |
| 70 |
Ce |
50 PRV |
72 hr |
| 71 |
Ce |
40 FG (4%) |
7 d + 72 hr |
| 71 |
Ce |
50 PRV |
72 hr |
| 85 |
Right VPM |
200
PRV |
76 min |
| 85 |
Left VPM |
200 PRV + 1 CTB |
27
min |
| 86 |
Left VPM |
200 PRV + 1% CTB |
66 min |
| 86 |
Right
VPM |
200 PRV |
22 min |
| 87 |
Left VPM |
100 PRV + 1% CTB |
65
hr |
| 88 |
Left VPM |
100 PRV |
66 hr |
| 89 |
Left VPM |
100
PRV |
77 hr |
| 91 |
Left VPM |
100 PRV |
72 hr |
| 92 |
Left
VPM |
100 PRV |
72 hr |
| 93 |
Ce |
100 PRV |
52
hr |
| 94 |
Ce |
100 PRV |
52 hr |
| 95 |
Ce |
100 PRV |
52
hr |
| 100 |
Lateral PB |
40 CTB |
7 d + 72 hr |
| 100 |
Ce |
100
PRV |
72 hr |
| 101 |
Lateral PB |
40 CTB |
7 d + 96 hr |
| 101 |
Ce |
100 PRV |
96 hr |
| 102 |
Lateral PB |
40 CTB |
7
d + 48 hr |
| 102 |
Ce |
100 PRV |
48 hr |
| 103 |
Lateral PB |
80
PRV |
56 hr |
| 104 |
Lateral PB |
80 PRV |
72 hr |
| 105 |
Lateral
PB |
80 PRV |
72 hr |
| 1501 |
Ce |
200 PRV |
90
hr |
| 1508 |
Ce |
200 PRV |
94 hr |
| 1510 |
Ce |
200 PRV |
78.5
hr |
|
|
For all injections 20% of concentrated colloidal gold was added
to each volume of PRV except when PRV was coinjected with CTB (cases
46, 85, 86, 87).
For cases 85, 86, 100, 101, and 102, FG or CTB were injected 7 d before
PRV injection.
For cases 1501, 1508, and 1510, bilateral excitotoxic of the elPB were
made 7 d before PRV injection.
Central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce); Cholera Toxin (CTB); Fluoro-Gold
(FG); (PB) parabrachial; PRV, Bartha strain of pseudorables virus; VPM,
ventroposteromedial nucleus of thalamus.
|
|
We injected 100 nl of PRV into the ventral posteromedial nucleus
(VPM) of the thalamus and evaluated the pattern of labeling in the
caudal medulla 36 hr later to provide a second method of assessing the
radius of viral uptake. Neurons that project to VPM are located in the
trigeminal nucleus caudalis of the caudal medulla, whereas neurons that
project to the VPL (immediately adjacent to VPM) arise from the dorsal
column nuclei, located adjacent to the trigeminal nucleus caudalis.
Thus, if the virus had diffused from the VPM to the VPL and had been
taken up and transported by VPL axons, we would record labeled neurons
in the dorsal column nuclei as well as the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. There are, to our knowledge, no projections from the VPL to the VPM
that would allow transneuronal passage of the virus from the VPM to the
dorsal column nuclei via the VPL.
Lesion studies. Bilateral lesions of the elPB were produced
by microinjection (with a 50 µm tip glass pipette) of 500 nl of an
aqueous solution containing 0.5% ibotenic acid (Sigma, St. Louis, MO)
in three rats (1501, 1508, and 1510). Each injection was made over a 15 min period while the animal was under general anesthesia. Ibotenic acid
is an analog of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamic acid. It has
been shown to create discrete cellular lesions when injected in the
cerebral cortex (Iadecola et al., 1987 ; Meunier and Destrade, 1988 ).
One week later the animals were injected with 200 nl of PRV and
colloidal gold in the left amygdala and perfused 90, 94, and 78.5 hr
later, respectively. To define the extent of the ibotenic acid lesions,
a Nissl stain and PRV immunocytochemistry were performed on transverse
sections of the parabrachial area.
Postoperative period. After recovering from surgery, the
animals were returned to their cages and brought back to the animal facility. Those rats that received a virus injection were confined to a
biosafety hood where they were observed every 8 hr for any signs of
disease (Pensaert and Kluge, 1989 ). Virus-injected animals were weighed
daily, and their food and water intake were monitored. The animals that
demonstrated signs of encephalitis were perfused immediately.
Perfusion. Each animal was anesthetized deeply with a
mixture of ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (7 mg/kg) intramuscularly and then perfused through the ascending aorta with 50 ml of 0.05 M (0.9%) PBS, followed by 500-1000 ml of 4%
paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M PBS, pH 7.4, at room temperature.
Two hours later, the spinal cord, brain, and, in cases 51, 52, 69, 70, 71, 103, 104, and 105, the trigeminal ganglia were removed and
post-fixed in the same fixative solution for 6 hr at 4°C. The tissues
were then cryoprotected in a 30% solution of phosphate-buffered
sucrose, pH 7.4, at 4°C for at least 48 hr before sectioning.
Immunocytochemistry. Fifty micrometer serial transverse
sections of the brain and spinal cord and longitudinal sections of the
trigeminal ganglia were cut on a freezing microtome. Every fourth
section was immunostained.
Sections were floated in a blocking solution made of 3% normal goat
serum (NGS) and 0.3% Triton X-100 in PBS for 1 hr and then incubated
for 48 hr at 4°C with a rabbit polyclonal antiserum (Rb 134) directed
against acetone-inactivated PRV (a generous gift from Dr. Lynn Enquist,
Princeton University), at a dilution of 1:20,000 in PBS, 1% NGS, and
0.3% Triton X-100. After the primary antibody incubation, the tissue
was exposed to a goat anti-rabbit biotinylated secondary IgG (Vector
Laboratories, Burlingame, CA) diluted 1:200 for 1 hr at room
temperature. We used a nickel-diaminobenzidine (nickel-DAB)
glucose-oxidase reaction to obtain a black reaction product
(Llewellyn-Smith and Minson, 1992). Omission of the primary antibody
resulted in the absence of PRV immunoreactivity. For Fluoro-gold
immunocytochemisty, the same procedure was followed using a rabbit
primary antiserum (a generous gift from Dr. Howard Chang, Memphis, TN)
at a dilution of 1:5000. A goat primary antiserum (1:20,000; List
Biologic, Campbell, CA) and a biotinylated donkey anti-sheep secondary
antiserum (1:200; Sigma, St. Louis, MO) were used for cholera toxin B
immunocytochemisty. Horse serum was used for blocking and incubation
solutions. Sections were washed three times in Tris buffer, pH 7.4, mounted on gelatin-coated slides, air dried, dehydrated in alcohol in a
graded manner, cleared in xylene, and coverslipped.
For double-labeling experiments, cholera toxin B immunocytochemistry
using a nickel-DAB reaction was followed by PRV immunocytochemistry as
described above, except that nickel was omitted from the DAB solution.
These two immunocytochemical procedures resulted in a light brown
staining of the PRV-like immunoreactivity that contrasted well with the
black cholera toxin immunoreactivity, allowing identification of
double-labeled cells over a wide range of staining density for both
antigens. Omitting the primary antiserum for cholera toxin or PRV on
control sections resulted in the absence of signal for the
corresponding antigen. If the PRV immunocytochemistry was performed
first, cholera toxin immunocytochemistry failed to show any label.
After several controls, we concluded that this artifactual absence of
signal was attributable to the binding of the secondary donkey
anti-goat with the secondary goat anti-rabbit antibodies. For each
antigen, comparison of cell counts made in single- and double-labeled
sections from the same animal showed that the double
immunocytochemistry did reduce the signal of individual antigens,
suggesting that the amount of double-labeled cells might have been
underestimated. In an attempt to circumvent this problem, we used a
double immunofluorescence protocol in some experiments.
The same primary antibodies were used at higher concentrations
(anti-PRV, 1:2000; anti-cholera toxin B, 1:10,000) for cholera toxin-PRV immunofluorescence. The secondary antibodies (1:200) were
fluorescent goat anti-rabbit conjugated to Texas Red (Amersham, Arlington Heights, IL) and donkey anti-goat conjugated to FITC (Vector)
for visualizing PRV and cholera toxin B, respectively. The
double-labeling procedure involved the same steps as described above,
but without a DAB reaction. After the last rinse, the sections were
mounted on gelatin-coated slides and air dried, coverslipped with
Fluoromount-G (Southern Biotechnology), and stored in the dark at
4°C. The sections were observed under an epifluorescent microscope
with an excitation filter of 510~560 nm and a barrier filter of 590 nm (Texas Red) and with an excitation filter of 470~490 nm and a
barrier filter of 520 nm (FITC). Omitting the primary antisera on
control sections resulted in the absence of signal for the
corresponding antigen.
Photomicrographs. Sections selected for publication were
captured on a Power Macintosh (8100/100AV; Apple Computers, Cupertino, CA) with a Nikon Optiphot-2 microscope, and an analog VE-1000 camera
and a VC70 Control Unit (Dage-MTI, Michigan, IN) connected to an image
capture board (PDI, Redmond, WA). Final images were produced using
Adobe Photoshop 3.0.4 (Adobe, Mountain View, CA). Sections from
Swanson's atlas (1992) (Fig. 4) were taken from a commercially
available software package (Elsevier).
Fig. 4.
Cases 47, 40, 67, 71, 93. Diagram of PRV and
Fluoro-gold injection sites in the amygdala plotted onto section
reproduced from the atlas of Swanson (1992) . The location of the
injection sites was determined from the distribution of gold particles
and from the cannula tracts.
[View Larger Version of this Image (24K GIF file)]
RESULTS
Defining the spread of the virus at the injection site
Extracellular PRV immunoreactivity was observed at the site of
intracerebral injection only when animals survived less than 24 hr
(Fig. 1). At survival times sufficient to obtain
retrograde labeling of first-order afferent neurons (26 hr), all PRV
immunoreactivity seemed to be confined to cell bodies (Fig.
2A). These cell bodies were located in
the area immediately surrounding the injection site and also at a
distance in nuclei with known projections to the injection site. We
added 40-µm-diameter gold particles to the viral suspension to obtain
permanent labeling. The latter remain localized to the injection site
and are easily identified under dark-field illumination or with
transmitted light after silver enhancement (Fig. 2B)
(Scopsi and Larsson, 1985 ). At a concentration of 50:50 (v/v),
retrograde labeling and viral transport were identical to that of
animals injected only with the virus, indicating that the gold
particles did not block viral replication.
Fig. 1.
Case 97. Bilateral PRV microinjections into the
lateral thalamus (arrows). A, The
injection on the left was made 22 min and the one on the right 59 min
before perfusion. Note that the immunoreactivity on the
left is well localized, implying a restricted diffusion of the virus. By contrast, little immunoreactivity is present when the
survival time was ~1 hr. B, The injection on the
left side above was imaged at high power, to show the
dust-like, noncellular appearance of the immunolabeling. Third
ventricle (III); internal capsule
(ic). Scale bars: A, 400 µm;
B, 33 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (179K GIF file)]
Fig. 2.
A, Case 47. After 26 hr,
PRV-immunoreactive neurons are visible at the injection site
(arrow) in cell bodies. The inset shows PRV immunolabeled cell profiles (arrowheads) and
colloidal gold (arrow). Compare with the dust-like
immunoreactivity in Figure 1B. B,
Case 93. An example of a PRV injection site in the Ce (lateral division) at 52 hr. The injection site is localized by gold
particles, which persist after coinjection with the virus. PRV
immunoreactivity is no longer found at the injection site as in
A, which is likely attributable to clearance of the
virus by an immune response (Rinaman et al., 1993 ; Card and Enquist,
1995 ). Labeled cells are visible in the perirhinal (PR)
and piriform cortex (Pir); these presumably resulted
from both direct and transneuronal transport. Basolateral amygdaloid
nucleus (BLA); central nucleus (Ce);
caudate putamen (CP); external capsule
(ec). Scale bars: A
(inset), 33 µm; A, 250 µm;
B, 150 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (110K GIF file)]
To evaluate the radius of viral diffusion around the pipette tip where
uptake of the virus at axonal terminals presumably occurs, cases 85 and
86 received a virus injection in the thalamus or parabrachial area and
were perfused at brief survival times (22-76 min, Table 1). On
transverse brain sections at the level of the injection site, PRV
immunoreactivity was restricted to the deepest portion of the pipette
tract (Fig. 1A, left). The diameter of the
immunoreactive area was largest (200-320 µm) for animals with the
shortest survival (20-27 min, n = 7). Under the same
injection conditions, the gold particles diffused over a diameter of
~300 µm. At longer survival times (66-76 min, n = 4), the PRV-immunoreactive area was smaller (100-150 µm) or absent (Fig. 1A, right). When present, the
immunoreactivity was dense and finely punctate (Fig.
1B) and, unlike the staining pattern seen at longer
survival times (>26 hr), it did not delineate cellular profiles,
suggesting an extracellular location. This contrasts with the staining
pattern at 26-48 hr postinjection, when we recorded many
immunoreactive cellular profiles in close proximity and at a distance
from the gold particles in a pattern that resembled the retrograde
labeling of first-order afferents using Fluoro-gold (see below) (Fig.
2A). At survival times greater than 48 hr, PRV immunoreactivity was often not detectable in the vicinity of the injection site, presumably attributable to clearance of the
virus-infected cells by the immune response (Fig. 2B)
(Card and Enquist, 1995 ).
PRV was injected in the VPM, and retrograde labeling was examined in
the caudal medulla to evaluate the radius of viral uptake. Cases 89 and
92 illustrate the results of these experiments. In case 92, the center
of the injection site was located 520 µm from the medial border of
the VPL (Fig. 3A). In case 89, the injection site was 320 µm medial to the VPL (Fig. 3B). Labeling in
the caudal medulla was predominantly located in the TNC for both cases
(Fig. 3C,D). There was, however, a
striking difference between the two cases in the number of PRV-labeled
neurons in the dorsal column nuclei. In case 92, there was only an
occasional labeled dorsal column neuron, whereas in case 89, there were
many (Fig. 3C,D, arrowhead). In
another experiment, cholera toxin B was coinjected with PRV in the VPM;
the center of the injection was 550 µm from the medial border of the
VPL. The diameter of the PRV immunolabeling at the injection site was
140 µm, whereas that of CTB was 1000 µm. In these animals, PRV- and
cholera-toxin-immunoreactive neurons were found in the trigeminal
nucleus caudalis, but only cholera-toxin-labeled neurons were recorded
in the dorsal column nuclei. The results of these experiments suggest
that when 100 nl of a 1 × 108 pfu concentration per
ml of PRV is microinjected into the brain parenchyma, viral uptake
occurs up to ~520 µm radially around the pipette tip. These
experiments also indicate that there is less diffusion of PRV than
cholera toxin B.
Fig. 3.
A, Case 92. PRV-immunoreactive
neurons at the injection site in the lateral thalamus; the center of
the injection site is 520 µm from the medial border of the
ventroposterolateral nucleus (VPL). The survival time
was 72 hr. B, Case 89. PRV-immunoreactive neurons at the
injection site in the lateral thalamus; the center of the injection
site is 320 µm from the medial border of the VPL nucleus. The
survival time was 77 hr. Reticular nucleus of the thalamus
(Rt); ventroposteromedial nucleus
(VPM). C, Case 92. Retrogradely
labeled PRV neurons in the caudal medulla, at the same level as in
Figure 3C, are present in the medial trigeminal nucleus
caudalis (TNC) only. D, Case 89. Retrogradely labeled PRV-immunoreactive neurons in the caudal medulla
are present in both the gracile nucleus (Gr;
arrowhead) and in the medial part of the trigeminal
nucleus caudalis (TNC; arrow). Cuneate
nucleus (Cu). Scale bar: 300 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (118K GIF file)]
Amygdala injections
Sixteen rats were injected in the right amygdala with PRV and gold
particles or for some animals, with PRV and cholera toxin B or
Fluoro-gold. Cases 47, 40, 93, and 71 will be presented as representative cases. These rats were perfused 26, 46, 52, and 76 hr,
respectively, after virus injection to assess progression of the virus
in the spino-(trigemino-)parabrachial pathway.
In case 47, 200 nl of PRV was injected in the Ce (Fig.
4), and the animal was perfused 26 hr later. PRV
immunolabeling in the pons was discrete and limited to the
ventrolateral parabrachial area bilaterally (Fig.
5A, Table 2). No labeled cells
were present in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis, and a only few cells
were seen in the ipsilateral nucleus of the solitary tract and the adjacent medial reticular formation (Fig. 5B, Table 2). In
case 40, a larger volume (300 nl) was injected in the center of the Ce
(Fig. 4), and the animal was perfused after 48 hr. In the pons, there
was abundant retrograde labeling in the elPB, and scattered labeling
was found in other divisions of the parabrachial complex (Table 1, Fig.
5C). In the trigeminal nucleus caudalis, isolated PRV-labeled neurons were found in the dorsomedial portion of lamina I
(Fig. 5D). We found no labeled cells in the spinal cord in
either case. In case 93, the injection was localized to the lateral
division of the Ce (Figs. 2B, 4). This injection
resulted in retrograde labeling of a limited number of brainstem areas
(Table 2). In the pons, most labeled cells were found in the elPB with
an ipsilateral predominance (Fig. 5E). In the trigeminal
nucleus caudalis, PRV-labeling was sparse bilaterally but more
widespread than for case 40, being found throughout lamina I at regular
intervals (at 230-460 µm), with a few cells in lamina V and the
adjacent medial reticular area (Table 1, Fig. 5F).
The dorsomedial portion of the superficial dorsal horn of the nucleus
caudalis was an exception. It often contained small groups (up to 10 per section) of PRV-labeled cells. In this rat, we did not detect PRV
immunoreactivity in the trigeminal ganglia.
Fig. 5.
PRV immunoreactivity in the ipsilateral
parabrachial area and caudal medulla after PRV injection in the Ce.
Case 47. A, Parabrachial area 26 hr after injection in
the Ce (see Fig. 4). The retrogradely labeled neurons were largely
restricted to the elPB. B, There is no labeling in the
trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) 26 hr after PRV
injection in the Ce. Case 40. C, PRV immunoreactivity in
the ipsilateral parabrachial area 46 hr after injection in the Ce.
Cusp-shaped islets formed of PRV-labeled cell bodies
(arrowheads) extend into the lateral crescent area from the
el PB. D, With this survival time, we found very few
PRV-immunoreactive neurons in lamina I of the ipsilateral caudal
medulla (arrow). Case 93. E, PRV
immunoreactivity in the ipsilateral parabrachial area 52 hr after
injection in the Ce. F, PRV-immunoreactive neurons were observed at somewhat regular intervals in lamina I of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (arrows). Occasionally we found two
adjacent cells that spanned the dorsoventral extent of lamina I. Case
71. G, PRV immunoreactivity in the ipsilateral
parabrachial area 76 hr after injection in the Ce. H, In
the ipsilateral caudal medulla, we recorded clusters of
PRV-immunopositive neurons that included neurons in lamina I and in the
ventrally subjacent lamina II. As for F, the clusters
were located at somewhat regular intervals. External lateral nucleus
(elPB); Kölliker-Fuse (KF);
lateral crescent area (lc); medial nucleus
(M); superior cerebellar peduncle (scp). Scale bar: 150 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (133K GIF file)]
In case 71, 50 nl of PRV was injected in the Ce 1 week after 40 nl of
Fluoro-gold using the identical coordinates. Although we did not detect
PRV immunoreactivity at the injection site (Fig. 6A), we recorded dense Fluoro-gold
immunolabeling extending to all divisions of the central and basal
nuclei, as well as to the medial nucleus, the amygdalostriatal
junction, and the dorsal endopiriform nucleus (Fig.
6B). In the parabrachial area, PRV-Fluoro-gold double-labeled neurons were concentrated in the elPB bilaterally (Fig.
5G). Neurons labeled with Fluoro-gold only were also
abundant in other divisions of the parabrachial complex (Table 2). In the caudal medulla, only PRV-labeled neurons were observed in the
nucleus caudalis (Fig. 5H); both PRV and Fluoro-gold
neurons were present in the A1 region and in the nucleus of the
solitary tract. Compared with case 93 (above), the longer time allowed for viral transport resulted in transneuronal labeling of neurons of
lamina II of the nucleus caudalis, as well as for additional labeling
of neurons in the paratrigeminal nucleus and reticular formation (Table
2). In laminae I and II, the PRV-immunolabeled neurons were distributed
equally on both sides of the midline and were arranged in radially
oriented columns (Fig. 5H). The spacing between these
columns ranged from 230 to 460 µm. At high magnification, many of
these cells had neuronal profiles with visible proximal dendritic
processes. In lamina V, labeling was infrequent and ipsilateral to the
injection site, as in case 93. In the spinal cord, at the level of the
cervical enlargement, most of the PRV-labeled cells were located in the
superficial dorsal horn. In lamina I, the labeled cells either formed
small clusters or existed singly and in isolation. When present in
lamina II, PRV-immunolabeled cells lay immediately ventral to the
labeled lamina I cells, forming radially oriented columns through the superficial dorsal horn comparable to the pattern described above for
the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Labeled cells were also seen in the
reticulated area of the neck of the dorsal horn (lamina V) and in the
adjacent white matter.
Fig. 6.
Case 71. Characteristics of injection site after
coinjection of PRV and Fluoro-gold. Immunostaining for PRV
(A) shows the cannula tract and a small area of tissue
necrosis. The center of injection is at the junction of the lateral Ce
and the basolateral nucleus (BLA). Note that the
injection site is almost devoid of PRV immunoreactivity. The perirhinal
(PR) and piriform cortex (Pir), however,
contain retrogradely labeled neurons. An adjacent section immunostained
for Fluoro-gold (B) demonstrates the much greater radius
of diffusion and the consequent more extensive retrograde labeling of
neurons that project to the amygdala (see Table 2). Optic tract
(opt). Scale bar: 500 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (141K GIF file)]
In this case, we immunostained the trigeminal ganglia for PRV alone
(Fig. 7) and used a double immunofluorescence procedure to identify neurons double stained for PRV and substance P (Fig. 8A). Of 936 ganglion neurons examined,
112 (12%) were immunopositive for PRV, 206 (22%) for substance P, and
84 (9%) were for both PRV and substance P.
Fig. 7.
Case 71. PRV immunoreactive neurons in the
trigeminal ganglion ipsilateral to the Ce injection. Labeled cells
(arrows) demonstrate a dark reaction product; most of
these are of small diameter. By contrast, unlabeled cells
(arrowheads), visible because of light background
staining, are larger. Scale bar: 100 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (98K GIF file)]
Fig. 8.
A, Case 71. High magnification of
trigeminal ganglion on the side of PRV injection in the Ce. The tissue
has been double labeled for PRV (red immunofluorescence)
and the neurotransmitter substance P (yellow
immunofluorescence). Two cells labeled exclusively for substance P are evident (single arrowhead), as well as
one for PRV only (arrow). One example of a
double-labeled cell is indicated by a double arrowhead.
The light red cytoplasmic fluorescence of many large
cells is background signal only. B, Case 101. Trigeminal nucleus caudalis double labeled for PRV injected in the Ce
(brown reaction product) and cholera toxin
injected in the elPB (black reaction product).
Cholera-toxin-labeled neurons are present mostly in lamina I, with a
few in laminae III, IV, and V. PRV labeling is confluent in lamina I
and II consistent with the longer time post-injection (96 hr). All
cholera toxin-labeled cells were double labeled for PRV, similar to
case 51, for which the two tracers were injected in the parabrachial
(Fig. 12). More importantly, the dendritic profiles of cholera-
toxin-labeled lamina I parabrachial projection cells are seen to extend
into lamina II (arrowheads). Scale bars:
A, 50 µm; B, 100 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (118K GIF file)]
Effect of bilateral elPB lesions
The excitotoxin ibotenic acid was injected into the elPB
bilaterally 1 week before PRV with colloidal gold in the Ce in three animals (1501, 1508, and 1510). In all three cases silver
intensification of the colloidal gold coinjected with the virus
confirmed PRV injection in the lateral portion of the Ce (Fig. 4). All
three rats survived longer than 72 hr (Table 1), at which time PRV immunoreactivity is normally present throughout the superficial laminae
of the TNC and the spinal dorsal horn (case 71, Fig.
5H). Case 1501 will be described as representative.
In this animal, symmetrical lesions of the lateral parabrachial area
were evident on both Nissl-stained and PRV-immunoreacted tissue (Fig.
9A-C). Many immunopositive cell
bodies were present in most divisions of the parabrachial complex, with
the striking exception of the elPB and immediately adjacent tissue
(Fig. 9C). A paucity of PRV-immunopositive cells were found
in lamina I of the TNC (Fig. 9D), although expected labeling
was obtained in the nucleus of the solitary tract and in the reticular
formation at this survival time. In the spinal cord, occasional PRV
immunopositive neurons were found in lamina I of the dorsal horn
bilaterally. More consistently labeled neurons were located around the
central canal, in the lateral spinal nucleus, and in the reticulated
area of the dorsal horn (lateral portion of lamina V).
Fig. 9.
Case 1501. A, B, Low- and
high-power views of a Nissl-stained section through an ibotenic acid
lesion in the lateral parabrachial. Disruption of the cellular
architecture in the elPB and vicinity (boxed area in
A) is evident at high magnification (B).
Arrowheads delimit the lesioned area in which normal
appearing perikarya are no longer recognized. The arrow
points to a cluster of pyknotic perikarya within the lesion. The
interrupted line delineates the superior cerebellar
peduncle (scp). C, D, PRV
immunoreactivity. C, In the pons, the parabrachial area
is filled with immunopositive neurons, with the exception of the region
of the elPB (arrows). In the caudal medulla, abundant
labeling is observed in the nucleus of the solitary tract
(NTS), whereas moderate labeling is present in the
reticular formation (Ret). Several immunopositive cells (arrowheads) are present in lamina I of the trigeminal
nucleus caudalis (TNC). Scale bars: A,
C, D, 500 µm; B, 200 µm
[View Larger Version of this Image (122K GIF file)]
Comparison of the labeling after PRV or Fluoro-gold injection
We made injections of Fluoro-gold in the Ce in four animals and
compared the pattern of labeling with that found after PRV injection.
These injections without PRV were necessary because the small volumes
required to obtain a restricted Fluoro-gold injection site ( 40 nl)
are incompatible with adequate PRV uptake and transport. In fact,
volumes <50 nl of PRV could not be used because injection of less than
5 × 103 virions (50 nl of a 1 × 108
pfu/ml solution) was associated with either the absence of replication of the virus or a prolonged and less predictable time course of viral
replication and transneuronal passage. Case 67 will be used to make
these comparisons because the location and size of the Fluoro-gold (40 nl) injection site is similar to that of case 71, which received PRV.
The injection included all of the Ce, with the exception of its rostral
pole, and it encroached on the adjacent mediodorsal portion of the
lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei, the intra-amygdaloid bed
nucleus of the stria terminalis, and the ventral portion of the
amygdalostriatal transition area (Fig. 4). In the parabrachial area
(Fig. 10), the retrogradely labeled cells were
concentrated in the elPB; this is comparable to case PRV-71 (Table 2).
Compared with PRV or PRV with Fluoro-gold, Fluoro-gold alone provided
better labeling of the dendrites of elPB neurons. These dendrites
extended radially into the more lateral parabrachial nuclei: the
superior lateral, the lateral crescent (lc), and the
Kölliker-Fuse (KF) (Fig. 10). As we noted after
PRV injection in the Ce (Fig. 5C), Fluoro-gold injections resulted in labeling of cusp-shaped clusters of cells that extended from the elPB into the lc (Fig. 10, arrowheads). To our
knowledge, these islets of Ce-projecting cells have not been described
previously. Finally, in the spinal cord, we recorded a few
Fluoro-gold-labeled cells, mostly contralateral to the injection site,
in deep laminae of the dorsal horn, near the central canal, and in the
lateral spinal nucleus, confirming a previous report (Menétrey
and de Pommery, 1991 ). Only rarely did we find Fluoro-gold-labeled
neurons in lamina I.
Fig. 10.
Case 67. Retrograde labeling with Fluoro-gold in
the parabrachial complex after injection in the Ce (for injection site,
see Fig. 4). Dense labeling is present in the elPB (not labeled for clarity); isolated cell bodies are present in the medial
(M) and ventral lateral
(vl) subnuclei. Two striking features
characterize the pattern of labeling in the elPB. First, as we found
after retrograde PRV labeling from the amygdala, cusp-shaped islets formed of cell bodies (arrowheads) extend into the
lateral crescent area (lc) from the elPB. Second, long
dendrites extend from the elPB neurons and islets into the lc, the
Kölliker-Fuse (KF), and the superior
lateral subnucleus (sl). Scale bar: 120 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (108K GIF file)]
Parabrachial injections
We made PRV injections into the right parabrachial complex with
either cholera toxin B or gold particles in six rats (Table 1). The
survival period ranged from 56 to 96 hr. The injections were made in
the ventrolateral area of the parabrachial complex, encompassing the
elPB and adjacent lc nucleus (Fig.
11A). The purpose of these experiments was to determine whether the pattern of retrograde labeling produced in the caudal medulla and spinal cord was similar to
that obtained by injection in the Ce, which would provide further evidence that PRV was relayed transneuronally from the Ce to the caudal
medulla and spinal cord via the lateral parabrachial complex. The
distribution of PRV-labeled cells in the caudal medulla and spinal cord
will be described for two cases in which different times were allowed
for viral transport.
Fig. 11.
Case 103. A, PRV coinjected
with gold particles (arrowheads) into the
elPB and lateral crescent area (lc)
nuclei of the parabrachial complex. B, PRV
immunolabeling in the caudal medulla 56 hr after injection. We recorded
clusters of labeled neurons (arrowheads) that spanned
laminae I throughout the extent of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis
(TNC) and occasionally encroached on lamina II. Although
we found no labeled cells in the deeper laminae of the TNC, some were
found in the reticular formation (Rt). PRV
immunolabeling in the cervical spinal cord (C) revealed
neuronal clusters in laminae I and II (arrowheads).
D, Retrograde PRV labeling was also found in the central
nucleus of the amygdala (Ce), the amygdalostriatal junction (AStr), and the lateral hypothalamus
(LH) after this elPB injection. Basolateral
amygdaloid nucleus, anterior (BLA); dorsal root
(DR); dorsal funiculus (DF);
lateral funiculus (LF); optic tract
(opt); reticulated area of the spinal dorsal horn (Ret). Scale bars: A, B,
D, 250 µm; C, 125 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (62K GIF file)]
Case 103 was perfused 56 hr after injection 80 nl of PRV. In the
trigeminal nucleus caudalis, we recorded isolated neurons or groups of
two to eight labeled neurons in lamina I (Table 2, Fig.
11B). These clusters were separated from each other
by 130-360 µm. The largest number of infected cells was found in the
dorsomedial area of lamina I, bilaterally (Fig. 11B,
arrowheads). This result is similar to that seen after
injection of PRV in the amygdala (case 93, above). The narrower
interval between columns after elPB injections suggests that more
columns could be projecting to the elPB than are relayed to the Ce. The
pattern of labeling in lamina II resembled another case injected in the
amygdala (case 71 above). Clusters of labeled cells extending radially
toward the deeper layers were almost always aligned with the labeled cells in lamina I. These radially oriented columns were formed of 2 (20 µm width) to 10 radially oriented neurons (160 µm width). An
identical pattern of labeling was observed in the superficial dorsal
horn of the cervical cord (Fig. 11C).
In case 51, we coinjected 200 nl of PRV with 1% cholera toxin B in the
lateral parabrachial area; 96 hr were allowed for viral transport. In
the caudal medulla, PRV-labeled neurons densely populated laminae I and
II of the dorsal horn on both sides of the midline; cholera toxin
B-labeled neurons were concentrated to lamina I with a slight
contralateral predominance (60%) (Table 2, Fig.
12A,B). At high magnification, it
could be seen that the majority of the cholera toxin B-labeled neurons
were double labeled for PRV (Fig. 12B). The
distribution of PRV neurons in nucleus caudalis was denser, which
masked the columnar pattern described above, presumably because of the
confluence of adjacent clusters of neurons at this longer period
postinjection (Fig. 12A). In the spinal cord, we
found densely labeled PRV-labeled cell columns in laminae I and II on
all sections, both at cervical and lumbar levels (Table 2, Fig.
12C,D). There too, cholera toxin
B-labeled neurons were largely confined to lamina I and most of them
(70-80%) were double labeled for PRV. At both the medullary and
spinal levels, some PRV columns failed to align with cholera toxin B lamina I cells, presumably because an immune response cleared some of
the cholera toxin B-PRV double-labeled neurons.
Fig. 12.
Case 51. A, PRV immunolabeling in
the caudal medulla 96 hr after coinjection of PRV and CTB in the elPB.
Densely packed PRV-immunopositive neurons were found throughout the
extent of laminae I and II of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis
(TNC). The abundance of labeling obscured the columnar
organization. B, Double labeling for cholera toxin B and
PRV demonstrated cholera toxin B-immunoreactive neurons; these were
largely restricted to lamina I (arrows) and were always immunoreactive for PRV. PRV-immunoreactive neurons
(arrowheads) were seen to underlie double-labeled lamina
I neurons (arrows). Compared with Figure
8B, the cholera toxin-labeled lamina I neurons appear atrophic and their dendritic tree is not evident. This is likely
attributable to a longer (~24 hr) presence of viral replication in
these cells. C, PRV immunolabeling in the cervical spinal cord demonstrated elongated, radially oriented neuronal columns
that spanned laminae I and II; the columns are spaced at regular
intervals (130-360 µm). Isolated PRV cells are also seen in the
reticulated part of the dorsal horn (Ret), the area surrounding the central canal (cc), and in lamina VII of
the ventral horn. D, At higher magnification, it is
apparent that the columnar immunolabeling is restricted to laminae I
and II, and that some bridging of columns has begun to occur in lamina
I such that at later survivals, the columns could be obscured. Scale
bars: A, 300 µm; B, 175 µm;
C, 50 µm; D, 100 µm.
[View Larger Version of this Image (125K GIF file)]
A similar pattern of labeling in lamina I and II of the nucleus
caudalis and spinal dorsal horn was seen in case 101 after PRV
injection in the Ce and cholera toxin B in the elPB. Extensive PRV-labeling of laminae I and II of the TNC (Fig. 8B)
was produced. As expected, most cholera toxin-labeled parabrachial
projection neurons were seen in lamina I and were double labeled for
PRV. Significantly, cholera toxin revealed that these lamina I
parabrachial projection neurons had extensive dendritic arborizations
in lamina II (Fig. 8B, arrowheads).
Because PRV is transmitted in a retrograde manner, these dendrites
could provide a route of passage for the virus from lamina I to lamina
II.
Finally, for all cases of injection in the parabrachial complex,
retrograde labeling was present in the amygdala, confirming the
reciprocal projections that have been described previously (Krettek and
Price, 1978 ). In the ipsilateral amygdala, at survivals of 72 hr and
less, PRV labeling was found in the Ce, with sparse to moderate
labeling in the amygdalostriatal transition area (Fig. 11D), the posterior basomedial nucleus, and the
anterior and posterior basolateral nuclei. Few labeled cells were seen
in the same areas in the contralateral amygdala. At longer survival
times, PRV labeling extended to most of the subdivisions of the
ipsilateral amygdala, presumably because of the dense interconnections
between subnuclei (Amaral et al., 1992 ; Smith and Paré, 1994 ;
Pitkänen et al., 1995 ; Savander et al., 1995 ). In the
contralateral amygdala, abundant labeling was seen in the medial
nucleus and the ventral part of the basolateral nucleus. A few labeled
neurons were seen in the Ce and in the posteromedial cortical
amygdaloid nucleus.
DISCUSSION
As in all studies using retrograde tracers, a critical issue
concerns the area of the injection site from which uptake and transport
of the tracer occurs. Lysis of neurons at the injection site by PRV
makes their subsequent identification difficult; thus, colloidal gold
was used to identify the injection site at long survival periods, but
colloidal gold in itself does not directly indicate the area of viral
uptake. We therefore performed a series of studies that examined the
size of the injection site as a function of survival time and locus of
uptake inferred from retrograde labeling. Our results demonstrate a
restricted diffusion and uptake of the virus around the injection site.
A well delimited area of extracellular PRV immunoreactivity was
detected immediately after injection, and site-specific retrograde
labeling was found in the brainstem after injection in the
somatosensory thalamus.
Factors that may contribute to the limited diffusion of PRV
immunoreactivity after direct injection in the brain include the ubiquitous extracellular proteoglycans (Fuxe et al., 1994 ) to which
herpesvirus adheres (Karger et al., 1995 ). Once injected, the virus
particles would not persist in the extracellular space but would enter
cells by fusion of the viral membrane with the axon terminal and
perikaryon cytoplasmic membrane (Marchand and Schwab, 1986 ; Card and
Enquist, 1995 ). In neurons, the virus is retrogradely transported to
the nucleus of the cell, losing its tegument and capsid (Roizman and
Furlong, 1974 ; Spear, 1993 ; Card and Enquist, 1995 ). Because the
antiserum used to detect PRV is directed against the entire virus
particle, we propose that disassembly of PRV particles and subsequent
modification of the viral proteins is responsible for the loss of PRV
immunoreactivity after intracerebral injection. Reappearance of PRV
immunoreactivity in first-order neurons occurs after an interval long
enough for viral retrograde transport and replication to occur with the
resultant expression of new viral proteins (Card and Enquist, 1995 ).
Neurons immunolabeled 24-36 hr after injection, therefore, have direct
axonal projections to the injection site, whether their cell body is in
the vicinity of the injection site or at a distance, such as in the
brainstem, after injection in the amygdala. At >48 hr postinjection,
these populations were no longer identified by PRV
immunohistochemistry, presumably because of clearance of
virus-containing cells by an immune response (Rinaman et al., 1993 ;
Card and Enquist, 1995 ).
Consistent with transneuronal passage of the virus, the pattern
of labeling evolved in a predictable and ordered manner between cases.
It should be stressed that there is no definitive evidence that PRV is
transmitted strictly in a synaptic manner. Retrograde tracing from the
Ce to the elPB and from the elPB to the spinal dorsal horn and
trigeminal nucleus caudalis was similar to that obtained with
Fluoro-gold, supporting the proposal that PRV travels in specific
neural circuits. Also, the presence of discrete columns in the TNC
after virus injection in the Ce argues against nonspecific spread of
the virus from lamina I where it appears earliest to the immediately
subjacent lamina II. Furthermore, in cases of diffuse labeling of
lamina II, we did not label neurons of the immediately adjacent lamina
III. Finally, coincident PRV labeling of lamina II neurons and
trigeminal ganglion neurons, at the longest survival times, supports
previous evidence of convergent projections onto lamina I neurons
(Willis and Coggeshall, 1991 ).
Alternate pathways
TNC and spinal inputs can reach the Ce through other routes,
including the midline thalamic nuclei, the hypothalamus, the nucleus of
the solitary tract, and the A1/lateral reticular medullary area
(Ricardo and Koh, 1978 ; Veening, 1978 ; Ottersen and Ben-Ari, 1979;
Roder and Ciriello, 1993 ). All these nuclei contained
PRV-immunopositive neurons after injection in the Ce at survival times
sufficient to permit only neurons with direct projections to be
labeled. Bilateral lesions of the elPB with ibotenic acid, however,
prevented most of the labeling of lamina I neurons of the TNC and
spinal dorsal horn, whereas labeling in deeper laminae was preserved. Therefore, although some lamina I input to the Ce may be relayed by
other structures, such as the nucleus of the solitary tract (Menétrey and Basbaum, 1987 ), the elPB seems to relay most of these afferents. This is consistent with previous reports that spinal
and trigeminal afferents (either directly to the amygdala or to relay
nuclei other than the nucleus of the solitary tract) originate
predominantly from deep layers of the dorsal horn in the rat
(Menétrey and de Pommery, 1991 ).
Afferent connection of the amygdala arising from lamina I
The presence of bilateral PRV labeling of lamina I neurons after
Ce injection at both the medullary and spinal levels suggests an
extensive convergence of nociceptive input from all parts of the body
to the Ce, consistent with a previous electrophysiological study
(Bernard et al., 1992 ). Thus, lamina I neurons, many of which are
nociceptive specific (Besson and Chaouch, 1987 ), are likely to
contribute to the generalized emotional and motivational responses to
noxious stimuli (Adolphs et al., 1995 ; LaBar et al., 1995 ; Maren and
Fanselow, 1996 ).
Controversy has existed as to how spinal inputs are relayed via the PB
to the Ce, principally because spinal afferent terminals have not been
detected in the elPB, where the majority of retrogradely labeled
neurons from the Ce resides (Saper, 1995 ). The extensive dendritic
labeling of elPB neurons after Fluoro-gold injections provides clues to
how the connection is made. The dendrites of elPB neurons retrogradely
labeled from the Ce extended into spinal lamina I terminal areas in the
lateral parabrachial complex (Bernard et al., 1995 ; Feil and Herbert,
1995 ). Ultrastructural analysis has, in fact, demonstrated synaptic
contacts between spinal afferents and the dendrites of
amygdala-projecting neurons in the lateral parabrachial area (Ma and
Peschanski, 1988 ). Together with the sequential and temporally separate
infection of neurons in the elPB and in lamina I neurons of the medulla
and spinal cord, we conclude that transneuronal passage of the virus
occurred from the dendrites of elPB neurons to the axon terminals of
lamina I afferents in the external nuclear layer of the parabrachial complex.
Transneuronal labeling of inputs to the lamina I
projection neuron
Both trigeminal primary sensory neurons and lamina II neurons were
consistently labeled within 24 hr after the first appearance of PRV
immunoreactivity in neurons of lamina I, providing evidence that lamina
I projection cells receive direct input from both primary afferents and
from underlying lamina II cells (Gobel, 1978a ,b ; Hoheisel and Mense,
1989 ; Sugiura et al., 1993 ). Double labeling of trigeminal ganglion
neurons for PRV and substance P suggests that these lamina I projection
neurons are acted on by peptide-containing nociceptive primary
afferents, consistent with recent reports (Ding et al., 1995a ,b )
demonstrating that some lamina I neurons that project to the
parabrachial complex express the substance P receptor. Although we
could not discern the morphology of the lamina II neurons, some
presumably correspond to the stalk cell, a proposed excitatory
interneuron, the axon of which arborizes exclusively in lamina I
(Bennett et al., 1980 ). On the other hand, because columns of cells
were found throughout the depths of the substantia gelatinosa, it is
likely that there was also labeling of the islet cells that populate
the substantia gelatinosa. Many of the latter are inhibitory
interneurons, the axonal and dendritic processes of which are confined
to lamina II. The retrograde transport of cholera toxin in lamina I
parabrachial projection neurons demonstrated that dendritic processes
extend into lamina II and could therefore be responsible for the
retrograde passage of PRV directly from lamina I neurons to islet
cells. PRV double labeling of neurons within lamina II columns with
antibodies against various neurotransmitters may provide insight into
the regulation of lamina I projection neurons.
The columnar pattern of viral labeling suggests that viral
transmission occurs within isolated compartments or modules containing functionally related neurons. We have observed previously columnar labeling of the superficial dorsal horn after peripheral PRV injection (Jasmin et al., 1997 ), which is consistent with the columnar pattern of
labeling in the superficial dorsal horn produced by anterograde labeling of primary sensory afferents from dorsal root ganglia (Arvidsson and Pfaller, 1990 ; see their Figs. 3, 7, 9, 10).
Simultaneous recordings from neurons in laminae I and II of the primate
demonstrated that interneurons of the substantia gelatinosa provided
excitatory inputs to adjoined lamina I neurons (Price et al., 1979 ).
Our results, which determined a temporally coincident labeling of substantia gelatinosa interneurons and primary afferents in the trigeminal ganglia, indicate that lamina I neurons at the origin of the
spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pathway receive a convergent input from
both sources. The dual excitatory drive received by these neurons could
provide the anatomical basis for the finding that some lamina I
spinoparabrachial neurons remain active, despite high doses of systemic
morphine (Jasmin et al., 1994 ). It has been postulated that the
activity of these neurons is required for eliciting descending
inhibition, a function that has been ascribed to the Ce (Manning and
Mayer, 1995 ).
FOOTNOTES
Received Oct. 28, 1996; revised Feb. 21, 1997; accepted Mar. 3, 1997.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants 14627 and 21445 (A.I.B.) and RO1DK47523 and the MRC (Canada) (L.J.). A.R.B.
is a Howard Hughes Medical Student Fellow. We thank Dr. Kristina
Tarczy-Hornoch and Ms. Jinwen Tang for their expert technical
assistance.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Luc Jasmin, Research Building
W221, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3970 Reservoir Road N.W.,
Washington, DC 20007.
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