The amygdala and the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus: interactions controlling active (rapid eye movement) sleep

There is a consensus that active sleep (AS; i.e., REM sleep) is produced by cholinergic projections from the pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei (PPT) that activate AS-on neurons in the nucleus pontis oralis (NPO) that are components of the AS-Generator. However, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that other sites, such as the amygdala, also participate in the control of AS by inducing the discharge of AS-Generator neurons. In this regard, we recently reported that there are direct, excitatory (glutamatergic) projections from the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) to presumptive AS-Generator neurons in the NPO. We therefore hypothesized that the CNA and the PPT act alone, as well as in concert, to promote AS. To test this hypothesis, the effects of stimulation of the CNA and the PPT on the activity of NPO neurons, recorded intracellularly, were examined in urethane-anesthetized rats. Stimulation of either the CNA or the PPT evoked short-latency excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in the same neurons within the NPO. The amplitude of PPT-evoked EPSPs that were recorded from NPO neurons increased by 20.1 to 58.6% when stimulation of the PPT was preceded by stimulation of the CNA at an interval of 0 to 12 ms: maximal potentiation occurred at an interval of 4 to 6 ms. Concurrent subthreshold stimulation of the CNA and the PPT resulted in the discharge of NPO neurons. NPO neurons that were activated following CNA and/or PPT stimulation were identified morphologically and found to be multipolar with diameters >20 μm; similar neurons in the same NPO site have been previously identified as AS-Generator neurons. The present data demonstrate the presence of converging excitatory synaptic inputs from the CNA and the PPT that are capable of promoting the discharge of AS-Generator neurons in the NPO. Therefore, we suggest that the occurrence of AS depends upon interactions between cholinergic projections from the PPT and glutamatergic projections from the CNA as well as inputs from other sites that project to AS-Generator neurons.