ABSTRACT
By using a highly sensitive HRP-TMB method, the present study found parasympathetic preganglionic neurons innervating rat stomach originated from the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus(DMV), ambiguus nucleus(AM), reticular formation between DMV and AM(RF). rostroventrolateral reticular nucleus (RVL), lateral parvocelluler reticular nucleus (LRP), paraependymal nucloeus of the vagus (PEV), intercalated nucleus(IC) and retroambiguus nucleus(RA). There was a specific representation area of the stomach in the DMV between 0.3-0.6mm rostral to obex, and the different parts of the stomach had topographical organization within this area. The lateral portion of the DMV mainly innervated the forestomach, the medial and medial-middled portion of the DMV predominantly projected to the antrum/pylorus and corpus, respectively. The right and the left DMV did not show difference in innervating the forestomach and antrum/pylorus, but the corpus was mainly innervated by the right DMV. RF only projected to the forestomach and the corpus. RVL and RA only innervated the forestomach. AM, PEV and IC innervated all the three parts. The relationship between the different neuronal types of the DMV and the different parts of the stomach was first discussed in this paper. The forestomach, corpus and antrum/pylorus received their inputs mainly from the large and small neurons, respectively. The dentrites of the DMV contacting CSF were confirmed.