TOPOGRAPHICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE LOCUS COERULEUS-SPINAL PROJECTIONS IN RAT——A FLUORESCENCE HISTOCHEMICAL STUDY COMBINED WITH HRP METHOD / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

After HRP was injected into the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord of the rat, the spinal projections of the locus coeruleus were studied by means of fluorescence histochemistry. The NAergic fibers arising from the locus coeruleus (LC) projected to the various levels of the spinal cord, and the topographical organization was observed, the neurons of the LC-spinal projections were located predominantly in the ventral part of the LC, but a few cells were also found in the dorsal part which projected to the cervical cord. The neurons projecting to the cervical cord from the LC were mainly located in the caudal part of the LC and the neurons projecting to the sacral cord were mainly located in the rostral part of the LC, but some overlapping existed.