Institution: | 1. University of Salamanca, Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León (INCYL), Laboratory of Neuroanatomy of the Peptidergic Systems, Salamanca, Spain;2. University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Leioa, Spain;1. Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany;2. Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, U.K.;3. Behavioural Science Group at Warwick Business School University, Warwick, Coventry, U.K.;1. São Paulo State University (Unesp), School of Dentistry, Department of Morphology, Genetics, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Araraquara, Brazil;2. Federal University of São Paulo, Department of Morphology and Genetics, São Paulo, Brazil;1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, United States;2. Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, China;3. Department of Emergency Medicine, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, United States;4. Department of Pharmacology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States;5. Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, United States;1. Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine Hershey, PA, 17033, USA;2. Department of Neurosurgery, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine Hershey, PA, 17033, USA |
Abstract: | We have studied the distribution of immunoreactive cell bodies and axons are containing methionine-enkephalin in the minipig brainstem. Immunoreactive axons were widely distributed, whereas the distribution of perikarya was less widespread. A high or moderate density of axons containing methionine-enkephalin were found from rostral to caudal levels in the substantia nigra, nucleus interpeduncularis, nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis, nucleus dorsalis raphae, nucleus centralis raphae, nuclei dorsalis and ventralis tegmenti of Gudden, locus ceruleus, nucleus sensorius principalis nervi trigemini, nucleus cuneatus externalis, nucleus tractus solitarius, nuclei vestibularis inferior and medialis, nucleus ambiguus, nucleus olivaris inferior and in the nucleus tractus spinalis nervi trigemini. Immunoreactive perikarya were observed in the nuclei centralis and dorsalis raphae, nucleus motorius nervi trigemini, nucleus centralis superior, nucleus nervi facialis, nuclei parabrachialis medialis and lateralis, nucleus ventralis raphae, nucleus reticularis lateralis and in the formatio reticularis. We have also described the presence of perikarya containing methionine-enkephalin in the nuclei nervi abducens, ruber, nervi oculomotorius and nervi trochlearis. These results suggest that in the minipig the pentapeptide may be involved in many physiological functions (for example, proprioceptive and nociceptive information; motor, respiratory and cardiovascular mechanisms). |