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Glutaminase-like immunoreactivity in rat spinomesencephalic tract cells
R P Yezierski1, T Kaneko, K E Miller
1Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami, FL 33136.
Brain Research
|October 8, 1993
Summary
Researchers traced neural pathways in rats using Fluorogold and glutaminase staining. This identified glutamate-releasing neurons in the spinomesencephalic tract, suggesting glutamate
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroanatomy
Background:
- The spinomesencephalic tract relays sensory information, including pain (nociception), from the spinal cord to the midbrain.
- The precise neurotransmitter used by neurons in this tract is not fully characterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify glutamatergic neurons within the rat spinomesencephalic tract.
- To investigate the role of the excitatory amino acid glutamate in nociceptive information relay.
Main Methods:
- Retrograde transport of the fluorescent tracer Fluorogold was employed to label spinal projection neurons.
- Immunohistochemical staining for the enzyme glutaminase was used to identify neurons synthesizing glutamate.
Main Results:
- Fluorogold-labeled neurons in the spinal cord exhibited glutaminase-like immunoreactivity.
- This co-localization suggests that neurons projecting from the spinal cord to the midbrain are glutamatergic.
Conclusions:
- The findings indicate that glutamatergic neurons are part of the rat spinomesencephalic tract.
- Glutamate likely plays a significant role in the transmission of nociceptive signals from the spinal cord to the midbrain.