Afferent projections to the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus

The afferent projections to the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMN) were investigated by iontophoretically infusing horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into that neural region of the rat. After the tetramethylbenzidine histochemical procedure was performed on the HRP-injected brains, projections to the DMN from several areas were observed including the nucleus reticularis parvocellularis and gigantocellularis, the nucleus of the solitary tract, the nucleus raphe obscuris, the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus, and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. The pathway originating in the paraventricular nucleus was the only forebrain projection to the DMN, a finding compatible with observation of other investigators.