Faculty Collaboration Database

Differential activation of medullary vagal nuclei during different phases of swallowing in the cat. Brain Res 2004 Jul 16;1014(1-2):145-63

Date

06/24/2004

Pubmed ID

15213000

DOI

10.1016/j.brainres.2004.03.061

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-2942724139 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   28 Citations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the medullary vagal nuclei involved in the different phases of swallowing activated physiologically in a species with an esophagus similar to human. In decerebrate cats, the pharyngeal (0.5-1.0 ml water in pharynx (N=6)) or esophageal (1-3 ml air in esophagus (N=5)) phases of swallowing were stimulated separately once per minute for 3 h, and we compared the resulting c-fos immunoreactivity within neuronal cell nuclei of the dorsal motor nucleus (DMN), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and nucleus ambiguus (NA) with a sham control group (N=5). We found that the pharyngeal phase was associated with an elevated number of c-fos positive neurons in the intermediate (NTSim), interstitial (NTSis), ventromedial (NTSvm) subnuclei of the NTS, caudal DMN, and dorsal NA; and the esophageal phase was associated with an elevated number of c-fos positive neurons in the central (NTSce), ventral, dorsolateral, ventrolateral subnuclei of the NTS, rostral DMN, and ventral NA. We concluded that the pharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing are associated with different sets of NTS subnuculei; and the DMN and NA may contain functionally different populations of motor neurons situated rostrocaudally and dorsoventrally associated with the different phases of swallowing. The central pattern generator (CPG) for swallowing probably receives significant peripheral feedback, and the NTSvm may participate in the transition of the pharyngeal to the esophageal phase of swallowing.

Author List

Lang IM, Dean C, Medda BK, Aslam M, Shaker R

Authors

Ivan M. Lang DVM, PhD Adjunct Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Bidyut K. Medda PhD Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Reza Shaker MD Assoc Provost, Sr Assoc Dean, Ctr Dir, Chief, Prof in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Biofeedback, Psychology
Biomarkers
Cats
Deglutition
Esophagus
Female
Immunohistochemistry
Male
Medulla Oblongata
Motor Neurons
Pharynx
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
Solitary Nucleus