Laterodorsal Tegmentum and Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus Circuits Regulate Renal Functions: Neuroanatomical Evidence in Mice Models / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

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 themiddle 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.

Association Between Suicide Attempts in Patients With Depressive Disorder and Tryptophan Hydroxylase A218C Polymorphism / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Several lines of evidence suggest the serotonergic dysfunction involved in the biological susceptibility of suicide. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin, plays a vital role in serotonin metabolism. In a case-control study, we investigated whether the TPH gene was a susceptible factor for suicidal behavior in depressive patients. METHODS: The subjects were 218 depressed patients who attempted suicide and visited emergency rooms in multi-medical centers. One hundred thirty hospitalized non-suicidal depressed patients and the 161 normal controls were matched with the suicidal group. Individuals in all 3 groups were evaluated independently by a Structured Clinical Interview for the purpose of establishing a DSM-IV criteria diagnosis (SCID). The severity of depressive symptoms was evaluated using Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in genotype distributions and allele frequencies of TPH intron 7 A218C polymorphisms among 3 groups. Furthermore, no significant difference in genotype counts and allele frequencies of the polymorphisms was found among lethal suicidal depressed patients, non-suicidal depressed patients and the normal controls. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the A218C polymorphism of the TPH gene is unlikely to have a major effect on the susceptibility of suicidal behaviors in depressive patients.