NEUROKININ-A COEXISTS WITH SUBSTANCE-P AND SEROTONIN IN VENTRAL MEDULLARY SPINALLY PROJECTING NEURONS OF THE RAT

The coexistence of neurokinin A (NKA) with substance P (SP) and serotonin (5-HT) in ventral medullary neurons of the parapyramidal region and nucleus raphe pallidus of the rat was studied using multiple immunofluorescence labeling. Nearly all of the NKA-immunoreactive (IR) cells in the parapyramidal region and raphe pallidus were SP-IR and 5-HT-IR, whereas about 70% of the SP-IR neurons and about 60% of the 5-HT-IR neurons contained NKA-IR. There were no apparent differences in the patterns of coexistence between parapyramidal and raphe pallidus neurons. NKA-IR neurons, which colocalized SP-IR and 5-HT-IR, were studied for projections to the lumbar and thoracic spinal cord by use of retrograde transport of fluorescent tracer. Whereas about 50% of the retrogradely labeled neurons of the parapyramidal region and raphe pallidus contained NKA-IR, nearly all of the NKA-IR neurons projected to the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord. In addition, some NKA-IR neurons in the ventral medulla were retrogradely labeled with tracer from localized injections into the thoracic intermediolateral cell column. In summary, this study demonstrated that NKA-IR is colocalized with SP-IR in bulbospinal serotonergic neurons of the parapyramidal region and raphe pallidus, which are known to regulate sensory, motor, and autonomic activities of the spinal cord.