CELL-TYPES IN THE ROSTRAL NUCLEUS OF THE SOLITARY TRACT

The rostral subdivision of the nucleus of the solitary tract (rNST) is not laminated or otherwise organized into clearly segregated cell typ es. Although a variety of experimental approaches have yielded a wealt h of information, the definition of cell types in this nucleus has bee n difficult, as reflected in the sometimes contradictory literature on morphological cell typing. The present review discusses how rNST neur ons have been classified in the past and adds to the evidence that dis tinct neuron types exist in this nucleus. Consistencies in the literat ure, as well as inconsistencies among studies, are discussed. Furtherm ore, we have included a summary of our own results that help provide a dditional data relevant to cell typing. The definition of cell types i n other central nervous system nuclei has helped our understanding of the organization of these nuclei and our understanding of the relation ships between the morphology and function of neurons. It is hoped that this synthesis of the extant literature will facilitate the many ongo ing efforts to correlate neuronal morphology and physiology in the gus tatory system.