Organization of the spinal trigeminal nucleus in star-nosed moles.

Somatosensory inputs from the face project to multiple regions of the trigeminal nuclear complex in the brainstem. In mice and rats, three subdivisions contain visible representations of the mystacial vibrissae, the principal sensory nucleus, spinal trigeminal subnucleus interpolaris, and subnucleus caudalis. These regions are considered important for touch with high spatial acuity, active touch, and pain and temperature sensation, respectively. Like mice and rats, the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a somatosensory specialist. Given the visible star pattern in preparations of the star-nosed mole cortex and the principal sensory nucleus, we hypothesized there were star patterns in the spinal trigeminal nucleus subnuclei interpolaris and caudalis. In sections processed for cytochrome oxidase, we found star-like segmentation consisting of lightly stained septa separating darkly stained patches in subnucleus interpolaris (juvenile tissue) and subnucleus caudalis (juvenile and adult tissue). Subnucleus caudalis represented the face in a three-dimensional map, with the most anterior part of the face represented more rostrally than posterior parts of the face. Multiunit electrophysiological mapping was used to map the ipsilateral face. Ray-specific receptive fields in adults matched the CO segmentation. The mean areas of multiunit receptive fields in subnucleus interpolaris and caudalis were larger than previously mapped receptive fields in the mole's principal sensory nucleus. The proportion of tissue devoted to each ray's representation differed between the subnucleus interpolaris and the principal sensory nucleus. Our finding that different trigeminal brainstem maps can exaggerate different parts of the face could provide new insights for the roles of these different somatosensory stations.

House-dust mite allergen and ozone exposure decreases histamine H3 receptors in the brainstem respiratory nuclei.

Allergic airway diseases in children are a common and a growing health problem. Changes in the central nervous system (CNS) have been implicated in contributing to some of the symptoms. We hypothesized that airway allergic diseases are associated with altered histamine H3 receptor expression in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus, where lung/airway and nasal sensory afferents terminate, respectively. Immunohistochemistry for histamine H3 receptors was performed on brainstem sections containing the NTS and the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus from 6- and 12-month-old rhesus monkeys who had been exposed for 5 months to house dust mite allergen (HDMA)+O3 or to filtered air (FA). While histamine H3 receptors were found exclusively in astrocytes in the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus, they were localized to both neuronal terminals and processes in the NTS. HDMA+O3 exposure significantly decreased histamine H3 receptor immunoreactivity in the NTS at 6 months and in the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus at 12 months of age. In conclusion, exposing young primates to HDMA+O3 changed histamine H3 receptor expression in CNS pathways involving lung and nasal afferent nerves in an age-related manner. Histamine H3 receptors may be a therapeutic target for allergic asthma and rhinitis in children.

N-methyl-D-aspartate-dependent long-term potentiation of excitatory transmission in trigeminal subnucleus oralis.

This study for the first time demonstrates early developmental changes of passive/active membrane properties, and long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synaptic transmission at spinal trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc)-to-oralis (Vo) synapses. During postnatal development, the probability of Vo neurons with monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) upon Vc stimulation significantly increased, whereas the input resistances of Vo neurons and the latencies of monosynaptic EPSCs significantly decreased. Application of a 'pairing' protocol that comprises 2 Hz-conditioning stimulation of Vc with postsynaptic depolarization of Vo neuron to +30 mV generated LTP of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor-mediated monosynaptic EPSC amplitude in more than 70% of Vo neurons. The induction of LTP required the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, but its magnitudes had correlation neither with postnatal ages nor with baseline EPSC amplitudes.

GAP-43 in the spinal trigeminal and dorsal column nuclei of the newborn and adult man: immunohistochemical distribution and comparison with that of the neuropeptides SP and CGRP.

By means of immunohistochemistry the presence of the growth-associated protein GAP-43 and its codistribution with substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are studied in the human spinal trigeminal, gracile, and cuneate nuclei at perinatal and adult life stages. The results obtained show that the distribution pattern of GAP-43 in the areas examined varies with age and that the immunohistochemical detectability of the protein persists in discrete subregions of the trigeminal and cuneate nuclei of the adult, where its localization closely matches that of SP and CGRP. It is suggested that neuronal plasticity may be pronounced throughout life in areas of the human nervous system involved in the neurotransmission of protopathic stimuli at the first synaptic level. Discrete subregions of the cuneate nucleus, bearing neurochemical characteristics strikingly similar to those of the substantia gelatinosa of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis are pointed out.

Anatomical distribution of substance P-immunoreactive neurons in human brainstem during the first postnatal year.

The localization of substance P (SP)-immunoreactive structures in the infant brainstem was investigated by immunohistochemistry using the peroxidase antiperoxidase technique. SP-immunoreactive structures are widely distributed throughout the brainstem region. SP-immunoreactive cell bodies are prominent in the superior colliculis, the central grey, the nucleus tractus solitarius and the reticular formation. A high density of SP-immunoreactive fibers is found in the nucleus tractus solitarius, the trigeminal nucleus and the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Large SP-immunoreactive fibers are seen in the substantia nigra. In the present study, we also investigated the development of substance P-immunoreactive fibers in the infant brainstem during the first postnatal year. We note a qualitative increase in the density of SP-immunoreactivity in some brainstem regions such as colliculus superior and substantia nigra with respect to age.

Ontogeny of the calcitonin gene-related peptide in the nervous system of rat brain stem: an immunohistochemical analysis.

The ontogeny of the calcitonin gene-related peptide in the neuron system of the rat brain stem was investigated by means of the indirect immunofluorescence technique. Calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity was first detected in the fibers of the nucleus of spinal tract trigeminal nerve on gestational day 18, and thereafter appeared gradually in various brain stem areas such as in the fibers of the solitary tract, gracile nucleus, cuneate nucleus, inferior colliculus, superior colliculus, medial geniculate nucleus and in the neurons of the hypoglossal nucleus, facial nucleus, superior olive, parabrachial area, superior colliculus and peripeduncular nucleus. In colchicine-untreated animals, the immunoreactive fibers increased in number and reached adult level by postnatal day 14, whereas the number of cells reached a maximum between postnatal days 2 and 6 and then decreased in number and immunoreactivity or disappeared, except in some areas such as the superior olive and peripeduncular nucleus, which showed the same immunoreactivity as for adult animals. With colchicine treatment, calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactive cells were found in more areas of the brain stem such as the abducens nucleus, parabigeminal nucleus, principal oculomotor nucleus, trochlear nucleus and central gray, along with the nuclei which had shown calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity in the untreated animals. However, the neurons in the inferior olive showed a different ontogenetical pattern of calcitonin gene-related peptide of immunoreactivity. Immunoreactivity disappeared completely by postnatal day 21 in both colchicine-untreated and -treated animals.

The role of the principal sensory nucleus in central trigeminal pattern formation.

Complete lesions of the principal sensory nucleus in the neonatal rat disrupts vibrissae-related pattern formation in the ventral posterior nucleus of the dorsal thalamus. Similar lesions of the spinal trigeminal nucleus do not effect pattern formation in the ventral posterior nucleus. The results are interpreted as suggesting that the principal sensory nucleus provides a template for pattern formation in central trigeminal structures.