Projections from the central nucleus of the amygdala to the gastric related area of the dorsal vagal complex: a Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin study in rat

Electrophysiological and anatomic studies suggest that the amygdala regulat es gastrointestinal motility and gastric acid secretion via projections to the dorsal vagal complex. The topography of these projections is poorly und erstood. Here, these projections were investigated by injecting anterograde tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin, into the different divisions o f the central nucleus of the amygdala in 13 rats. The distribution of immun ohistochemically labeled terminals in the different portions of the dorsal vagal complex was analyzed. We found that (1) the dorsal aspect of the medi al division of the central nucleus provided moderate projections to the dor sal vagal complex; (2) the heaviest projections terminated in the parvicell ular and medial divisions of the nucleus of the solitary tract. These data suggest that via topographically organized projections, the amygdala can mo dulate the vago-vagal gastrointestinal reflexes in emotional and stressful situations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.