Amygdala projecting solitary tract nucleus (NTS) neurons receive both direct and indirect cranial visceral afferent connections

Abstract

The solitary tract nucleus (NTS) is the central site of cranial visceral afferent termination within the CNS. Information arrives in the NTS via the solitary tract (ST) and is broadcast to other brain regions including the amygdala. Little is known about the organization and processing of such information by forebrain projecting NTS neurons that likely contribute to complex behaviors. We aimed to determine how cranial visceral afferent information reaches amygdala projecting NTS neurons. In horizontal slices (250 μm) from rats previously stereotaxically injected with rhodamine beads into the central nucleus of the amygdala, retrogradely labeled cell bodies were found throughout caudal NTS. S..