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Opioid circuits originating from the nucleus paragigantocellularis and their potential role in opiate withdrawal
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Opioid circuits originating from the nucleus paragigantocellularis and their potential role in opiate withdrawal

A.D Johnson, J Peoples, R.L Stornetta and E.J Van Bockstaele
Brain research, v 955(1), pp 72-84
15 Nov 2002
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-8993(02)03367-X
PMID: 12419523
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

C-fos Locus ceruleus Morphine Nucleus of the solitary tract Ventral medulla
Neurons in the rat nucleus paragigantocellularis (PGi), located in the ventrolateral medulla, send collateral projections to the locus coeruleus (LC) and to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). The present study examined whether neurons in the PGi that project to both the LC and NTS contain leucine 5-enkephalin (ENK), and also whether opioid-containing neurons in the PGi are activated following withdrawal from opiates. Retrograde transport of Fluoro-Gold (FG) from the LC and transport of a protein-gold tracer from the NTS was combined with detection of an antibody directed against ENK in the PGi. Using fluorescence and brightfield microscopy, it was established that more than half of the neurons containing both FG and the protein-gold tracer, also exhibited immunolabeling for ENK. The most frequent location of triply labeled neurons was the retrofacial portion of the PGi. In a separate series, rats were chronically implanted with morphine or placebo pellets and, on the fifth day, were subjected to an intraperitoneal injection of naltrexone. Two hours following initiation of withdrawal, rat brains were obtained and processed for detection of c-fos and in situ hybridization labeling of preproenkephalin (PPE) mRNA. Naltrexone injections into morphine-dependent rats caused a dramatic increase in c-fos as compared to control rats. Approximately 66% of the c-fos-labeled neurons exhibited labeling for PPE mRNA. These were also enriched in the retrofacial portion of the PGi. Taken together, the present data indicate that withdrawal from opiates engages opioid neurons in the PGi, some of which may coordinate activity of neurons in both the NTS and the LC.

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Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Neurosciences
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