ABSTRACT
Neurons in the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDTg) and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) play important roles in central autonomic circuits of the kidney. In this study, we used a combination of retrograde tracers pseudorabies virus (PRV)-614 and fluorescence immunohistochemistry to characterize the neuroanatomic substrate of PPTg and LDTg innervating the kidney in the mouse. PRV-614-infected neurons were retrogradely labeled in the rostral and middle parts of LDTg, and the middle and caudal parts of PPTg after tracer injection in the kidney. PRV-614/TPH double-labeled neurons were mainly localized in the rostral of LDTg, whereas PRV-614/TH neurons were scattered within the three parts of LDTg. PRV-614/TPH and PRV-614/TH neurons were located predominantly in the caudal of PPTg (cPPTg). These data provided direct neuroanatomical foundation for the identification of serotonergic and catecholaminergic projections from the mid-brain tegmentum to the kidney.