The supraoptic nucleus: Afferents from areas involved in control of body fluid homeostasis

doi:10.1016/0306-4522(89)90006-7

Neuroscience

Volume 28, Issue 3, 1989, Pages 573-584

https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4522(89)90006-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

Physiological evidence indicates that the supraoptic nucleus may be an important integrating region for information relating to body fluid homeostasis. It is known that the supraoptic nucleus receives neural influences from brain receptive zones for plasma osmolality and angiotensin II, as well as from relay centers for blood pressure and blood volume. It is also known that these influences interact to modulate vasopressin release from the supraoptic nucleus. Therefore, a detailed investigation of the neurochemical afferents to the supraoptic nucleus from regions of the lamina terminalis and the brainstem was undertaken.

Injection of a fluorescent retrograde tracer, doxorubicin, into the supraoptic nucleus was combined with histochemistry of angiotensin II and catecholamines. Following supraoptic nucleus injection, retrograde label was found in forebrain neurons of the subfornical organ, median preoptic nucleus, and organum vasculosum of the lamina terminals. Some labeled cells in the subfornical organ and organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis were also found to contain angiotensin II immunoreactivity. In the brainstem, retrograde label was found in neurons of the A1, A2 and A6 cell groups. Many of these cells were also found to contain catecholamine fluorescence or tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity. Corroboration of the A2 projection was obtained by lesions of this nucleus, which reduced catecholamine fluorescence in the supraoptic nucleus.

These findings provide an anatomical basis for the functional observations that the supraoptic nucleus plays a key integrative role in the maintenance of body fluid homeostasis.

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The supraoptic nucleus: Afferents from areas involved in control of body fluid homeostasis

Abstract

Brain Res. Bull.

Neuroscience

Neurosci. Lett.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

J. Neurosci. Meth.

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Peptides

Peptides

Life Sci.

Prog. Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Prog. Brain Res.

Brain Res. Rev.

Brain Res.

Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Brain Res.

Angiotensin II immunohistochemistry of the rat brain

Neuroendocrinology

Fluorescent antibody methods

Brainstem noradrenergic pathways modulate vasopressin secretion in the rat

J. Physiol.