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Ciriello J, Caverson MM. Effect of estrogen on vagal afferent projections to the brainstem in the female. Brain Res 2016; 1636:21-42. [PMID: 26835561 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.01.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2015] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The effects of 17β-estradiol (E) on the distribution and density of brainstem projections of small or large diameter primary vagal afferents were investigated in Wistar rats using transganglionic transport of wheat germ agglutinin- (WGA; preferentially transported by non-myelinated afferent C-fibers; 2%), or cholera toxin B-subunit- (CTB, 5%; preferentially transported by large myelinated afferent A-fibers) conjugated horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in combination with the tetramethylbenzidine method in age matched ovariectomized (OVX) only or OVX and treated with E (OVX+E; 30 pg/ml plasma) females for 12 weeks. Additionally, these projections were compared to aged matched males. Unilateral microinjection of WGA-HRP into the nodose ganglion resulted in dense anterograde labeling bilaterally, with an ipsilateral predominance in several subnuclei of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and in area postrema that was greatest in OVX+E animals compared to OVX only and males. Moderately dense anterograde labeling was also observed in paratrigeminal nucleus (PAT) of the OVX+E animals. CTB-HRP produced less dense anterograde labeling in the NTS complex, but had a wider distribution within the brainstem including the area postrema, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, PAT, the nucleus ambiguus complex and ventrolateral medulla in all groups. The distribution of CTB-HRP anterograde labeling was densest in OVX+E, less dense in OVX only females and least dense in male rats. Little, if any, labeling was found within PAT in males using either WGA-or CTB-HRP. Taken together, these data suggest that small, non-myelinated (WGA-labeled) and large myelinated (CTB-labeled) diameter vagal afferents projecting to brainstem autonomic areas are differentially affected by circulating levels of estrogen. These effects of estrogen on connectivity may contribute to the sex differences observed in central autonomic mechanisms between gender, and in females with and without estrogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Ciriello
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1 Canada.
| | - Monica M Caverson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1 Canada
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Morecraft RJ, Ge J, Stilwell-Morecraft KS, McNeal DW, Hynes SM, Pizzimenti MA, Rotella DL, Darling WG. Vulnerability of the medial frontal corticospinal projection accompanies combined lateral frontal and parietal cortex injury in rhesus monkey. J Comp Neurol 2014; 523:669-97. [PMID: 25349147 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Revised: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Concurrent damage to the lateral frontal and parietal cortex is common following middle cerebral artery infarction, leading to upper extremity paresis, paresthesia, and sensory loss. Motor recovery is often poor, and the mechanisms that support or impede this process are unclear. Since the medial wall of the cerebral hemisphere is commonly spared following stroke, we investigated the spontaneous long-term (6 and 12 month) effects of lateral frontoparietal injury (F2P2 lesion) on the terminal distribution of the corticospinal projection (CSP) from intact, ipsilesional supplementary motor cortex (M2) at spinal levels C5 to T1. Isolated injury to the frontoparietal arm/hand region resulted in a significant loss of contralateral corticospinal boutons from M2 compared with controls. Specifically, reductions occurred in the medial and lateral parts of lamina VII and the dorsal quadrants of lamina IX. There were no statistical differences in the ipsilateral CSP. Contrary to isolated lateral frontal motor injury (F2 lesion), which results in substantial increases in contralateral M2 labeling in laminae VII and IX (McNeal et al. [2010] J. Comp. Neurol. 518:586-621), the added effect of adjacent parietal cortex injury to the frontal motor lesion (F2P2 lesion) not only impedes a favorable compensatory neuroplastic response but results in a substantial loss of M2 CSP terminals. This dramatic reversal of the CSP response suggests a critical trophic role for cortical somatosensory influence on spared ipsilesional frontal corticospinal projections, and that restoration of a favorable compensatory response will require therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Morecraft
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory of Neurological Sciences, The University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota, 57069
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Neural mechanisms of female sexual behavior in the rat; comparison with male ejaculatory control. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2014; 121:16-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Revised: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Matragrano LL, Sanford SE, Salvante KG, Beaulieu M, Sockman KW, Maney DL. Estradiol-dependent modulation of serotonergic markers in auditory areas of a seasonally breeding songbird. Behav Neurosci 2011; 126:110-22. [PMID: 21942431 DOI: 10.1037/a0025586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Because no organism lives in an unchanging environment, sensory processes must remain plastic so that in any context, they emphasize the most relevant signals. As the behavioral relevance of sociosexual signals changes along with reproductive state, the perception of those signals is altered by reproductive hormones such as estradiol (E2). We showed previously that in white-throated sparrows, immediate early gene responses in the auditory pathway of females are selective for conspecific male song only when plasma E2 is elevated to breeding-typical levels. In this study, we looked for evidence that E2-dependent modulation of auditory responses is mediated by serotonergic systems. In female nonbreeding white-throated sparrows treated with E2, the density of fibers immunoreactive for serotonin transporter innervating the auditory midbrain and rostral auditory forebrain increased compared with controls. E2 treatment also increased the concentration of the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA in the caudomedial mesopallium of the auditory forebrain. In a second experiment, females exposed to 30 min of conspecific male song had higher levels of 5-HIAA in the caudomedial nidopallium of the auditory forebrain than birds not exposed to song. Overall, we show that in this seasonal breeder, (a) serotonergic fibers innervate auditory areas; (b) the density of those fibers is higher in females with breeding-typical levels of E2 than in nonbreeding, untreated females; and (c) serotonin is released in the auditory forebrain within minutes in response to conspecific vocalizations. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that E2 acts via serotonin systems to alter auditory processing.
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Vanderhorst VGJM, Terasawa E, Ralston HJ. Estrogen receptor-alpha immunoreactive neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord of the female rhesus monkey: species-specific characteristics. Neuroscience 2008; 158:798-810. [PMID: 18996446 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2008] [Revised: 10/02/2008] [Accepted: 10/06/2008] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The distribution pattern of estrogen receptors in the rodent CNS has been reported extensively, but mapping of estrogen receptors in primates is incomplete. In this study we describe the distribution of estrogen receptor alpha immunoreactive (ER-alpha IR) neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord of the rhesus monkey. In the midbrain, ER-alpha IR neurons were located in the periaqueductal gray, especially the caudal ventrolateral part, the adjacent tegmentum, peripeduncular nucleus, and pretectal nucleus. A few ER-alpha IR neurons were found in the lateral parabrachial nucleus, lateral pontine tegmentum, and pontine gray medial to the locus coeruleus. At caudal medullary levels, ER-alpha IR neurons were present in the commissural nucleus of the solitary complex and the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus. The remaining regions of the brainstem were devoid of ER-alpha IR neurons. Spinal ER-alpha IR neurons were found in laminae I-V, and area X, and were most numerous in lower lumbar and sacral segments. The lateral collateral pathway and dorsal commissural nuclei of the sacral cord and the thoracic intermediolateral cell column also contained ER-alpha IR neurons. Estrogen treatment did not result in any differences in the distribution pattern of ER-alpha IR neurons. The results indicate that ER-alpha IR neurons in the primate brainstem and spinal cord are concentrated mainly in regions involved in sensory and autonomic processing. Compared with rodent species, the regional distribution of ER-alpha IR neurons is less widespread, and ER-alpha IR neurons in regions such as the spinal dorsal horn and caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus appear to be less abundant. These distinctions suggest a modest role of ER-alpha in estrogen-mediated actions on primate brainstem and spinal systems. These differences may contribute to variations in behavioral effects of estrogen between primate and rodent species.
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Affiliation(s)
- V G J M Vanderhorst
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Kirstein 406, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Gerrits PO, Veening JG, Blomsma SA, Mouton LJ. The nucleus para-retroambiguus: a new group of estrogen receptive cells in the caudal ventrolateral medulla of the female golden hamster. Horm Behav 2008; 53:329-41. [PMID: 18076882 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2007] [Revised: 10/19/2007] [Accepted: 10/26/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Receptive female hamsters display very rigid lordotic postures. Estradiol facilitates this behavior via activation of estrogen receptors. In the hamster brainstem estrogen receptor-alpha-immunoreactive neurons (ER-alpha-IR) are present in various brainstem regions including nucleus retroambiguus (NRA) in the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) and nucleus of the solitary tract. ER-alpha-IR neurons in the CVLM project to the thoracic and upper lumbar cord. However, A1 neurons in this region do not project to the spinal cord, in contrast to overlapping C1 neurons. The question now arises: are ER-alpha-IR cells in the CVLM part of the A1/C1 group, or do they belong to the NRA or do they compose a separate cluster. A study in ovariectomized female hamsters using a combination of double immunostaining and retrograde tracing techniques and measurement of soma diameters was carried out. The results showed that A1/C1 neurons in the CVLM are almost never ER-alpha-positive; neurons inside or bordering the NRA can be divided in two different types: large multipolar and small; the large NRA-neurons, projecting caudally, are neither tyrosine hydroxylase- (TH) nor ER-alpha-IR; the small neurons, bordering the NRA and projecting caudally, are ER-alpha-IR but not TH-IR. From the available evidence and the present findings it can be concluded that the group of small ER-alpha-IR neurons in the CVLM has to be considered as a distinct entity, probably involved in the autonomic physiological changes concurring with successive phases of the estrous cycle. Because the location is closely related to the NRA itself the nucleus is called nucleus para-retroambiguus, abbreviated (NPRA).
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Affiliation(s)
- P O Gerrits
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands.
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KAMIYA N, TAKAYANAGI T, HIRABAYASHI G, SUGAWARA K. Voltammetric Evaluation of Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Oligosaccharide Binding. BUNSEKI KAGAKU 2006. [DOI: 10.2116/bunsekikagaku.55.669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Neumann S, Skinner K, Basbaum AI. Sustaining intrinsic growth capacity of adult neurons promotes spinal cord regeneration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:16848-52. [PMID: 16275900 PMCID: PMC1283855 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0508538102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The peripheral axonal branch of primary sensory neurons readily regenerates after peripheral nerve injury, but the central branch, which courses in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, does not. However, if a peripheral nerve is transected before a spinal cord injury, sensory neurons that course in the dorsal columns will regenerate, presumably because their intrinsic growth capacity is enhanced by the priming peripheral nerve lesion. As the effective priming lesion is made before the spinal cord injury it would clearly have no clinical utility, and unfortunately, a priming lesion made after a spinal cord injury results in an abortive regenerative response. Here, we show that two priming lesions, one made at the time of a spinal cord injury and a second 1 week after a spinal cord injury, in fact, promote dramatic regeneration, within and beyond the lesion. The first lesion, we hypothesize, enhances intrinsic growth capacity, and the second one sustains it, providing a paradigm for promoting CNS regeneration after injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Neumann
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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Vanderhorst VGJM. Nucleus retroambiguus-spinal pathway in the mouse: Localization, gender differences, and effects of estrogen treatment. J Comp Neurol 2005; 488:180-200. [PMID: 15924340 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nucleus retroambiguus (NRA)-motoneuronal projections are species-specific and serve expiration, Valsalva maneuvers, vocalization, and sexual behavior. In cat and monkey, estrogen induces sprouting of NRA-spinal axons. This pathway may thus serve as a model to study mechanisms through which estrogen induces neuronal plasticity. In this study, NRA-spinal projections are described in adult mice by using anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques, with attention to gender, strain (CD-1 and C57BL/6), and estrogen-induced changes (in ovariectomized females). Labeled NRA-spinal neurons at the level of the decussation of the corticospinal tract were most numerous after tracer injections into the thoracic and upper lumbar cord. They were medium-sized and had axons that descended through the contralateral cord. A group of small neurons was labeled in the NRA immediately rostral to the decussation of the corticospinal tract after cervical and thoracic, but not after lumbar injections. This group projected mainly via an ipsilateral pathway. The main projections from the caudal NRA involved motoneurons in the thoracic and upper-lumbar cord that supply abdominal wall and cremaster muscles. Pelvic floor motoneurons did not receive substantial input. NRA-spinal projections, especially those involving the upper lumbar cord, were sexually dimorphic, being more extensive in males than in females. Moreover, they were more distinct in estrogen-treated females than in control females. Strain differences were not observed. The unique features of the caudal NRA-spinal pathway in the mouse are discussed in the framework of possible functions of this system, such as mating behavior and related social behaviors, parturition, thermoregulation, and control of balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronique G J M Vanderhorst
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Groningen, NL-9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
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VanderHorst VGJM, Terasawa E, Ralston HJ. Projections from estrogen receptor-alpha immunoreactive neurons in the periaqueductal gray to the lateral medulla oblongata in the rhesus monkey. Neuroscience 2004; 125:243-53. [PMID: 15051163 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2003.12.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/29/2003] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) contains numerous estrogen receptor-alpha immunoreactive (ER-alpha IR) neurons that are distributed in a species-specific way. These neurons might modulate different types of behavior that are mediated by the PAG such as active and passive coping responses, analgesia, and reproductive behavior. In primates, it is not known whether ER-alpha IR PAG neurons represent local interneurons and/or neurons that project to brainstem areas that control these behaviors. In this double labeling study, we asked whether ER-alpha IR neurons in the PAG of the rhesus monkey project to the nucleus retroambiguus (NRA), an area in the ventrolateral caudal medulla oblongata that is involved in expiration, vocalization, and reproductive behavior. Tracer was injected into the caudal lateral medulla oblongata to retrogradely label PAG neurons, and ER-alpha was visualized immunohistochemically. Although ER-alpha IR neurons and NRA-projection neurons were present at similar levels of the PAG, their distributions hardly overlapped. ER-alpha IR PAG neurons that project to the lateral caudal medulla represented less than 2% of ER-alpha IR PAG neurons. These double-labeled neurons were mainly located in the ipsilateral caudal PAG. The cluster of neurons in the medial part of the lateral PAG that projects specifically to the NRA-region did not contain double-labeled cells. The results indicate that only a few ER-alpha IR PAG neurons project to the NRA-region. This might be related to the modest effects of estrogen on mating-related behavior in primates compared most other mammalian species. Remaining ER-alpha IR PAG neurons might act locally on other PAG neurons, or they might represent neurons that project to other areas. Furthermore, the finding that the distributions of ER-alpha IR neurons and neurons that project to premotor neurons in the NRA-region scarcely overlap illustrates that the PAG in primates is very highly organized into anatomically distinct regions compared with other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- V G J M VanderHorst
- Department of Anatomy, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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Gong S, LeDoux MS. Immunohistochemical detection of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP). J Neurosci Methods 2003; 126:25-34. [PMID: 12788499 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-0270(03)00055-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Traditional histochemical detection of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) can impose substantial technical limitations on studies requiring co-localization of neurotransmitters, receptors and other neural antigens. The goal of our experiments was to establish the ideal conditions and reagents for immunohistochemical detection of WGA-HRP. WGA-HRP was injected into the tongues and vibrissae pads of adult rats to characterize labeling of somas and synapses, respectively. Rats were perfused with either 4% paraformaldehyde (for light microscopy, LM) or 4% paraformaldehyde/0.15% glutaraldehyde (for electron microscopy, EM) after survival times of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 days. For LM, brainstem tissue was cut on a cryostat at 20 microm and collected onto glass slides. For EM, tissue was sectioned with a vibratome at 50 microm and processed free floating. For LM, WGA-HRP was detected with goat anti-HRP, goat anti-WGA, biotinylated goat anti-HRP or biotinylated goat anti-WGA antibodies. For EM, WGA-HRP was detected with biotinylated goat anti-WGA and anti-HRP antibodies. Survival intervals of 3 days were ideal for staining of hypoglossal neurons, whereas an interval of 4 days produced the strongest staining of synapses within the spinal trigeminal nucleus. For LM, the biotinylated antibodies resulted in better signal-to-noise ratios than the unconjugated antibodies. At both the LM and EM levels, the biotinylated antibody to WGA produced better quality staining than the biotinylated antibody to HRP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzhen Gong
- Departments of Neurology and Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 855 Monroe Avenue, Suite 415, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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