Afferent and efferent connections of the medial preoptic area in the rat: A WGA-HRP study

Abstract

Afferent and efferent connections of the medial preoptic area including medial preoptic nucleus (MP) and periventricular area at the MP level were examined using WGA-HRP as a marker. Injections were performed by insertion of micropipette containing 1. (1) small amount of HRP powder 2. (2) dryed HRP solution for 24 to 48 hr until the fixation or for 5 min respectively. Dorsal and ventral approaches of injection micropipettes were performed and the results were compared. Previously reported reciprocal connections with lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial amygdaloid nucleus, lateral hypothalamic nucleus, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, arcuate nucleus, supramammillary nucleus, central gray at the mesencephalon, raphe dorsalis, raphe medianus, and lateral parabrachial nucleus have been confirmed. In addition, we found reciprocal connections with septo-hypothalamic nucleus, amygdalo-hipocampal nucleus, subiculum, parafascicular thalamic nucleus, posterior thalamic nucleus at the caudo-ventral subdivision, median preoptic nucleus, lateral preoptic nucleus, anterior hypothalamic nucleus, periventricular area at the caudal hypothalamic level, dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, posterior hypothalamic nucleus, dorsal and ventral premammillary nucleus, lateral mammillary nucleus, peripeduncular nucleus, periventricular gray, ventral tegmental area, interpeduncular nucleus, nucleus raphe pontis, nucleus raphe magnus, pedunculo-pontine tegmental nucleus, gigantocellular reticular nucleus and solitary tract nucleus. The areas which had only efferent connections from MP were accumbens, caudate putamen, ventral pallidum, substantia innominata, lateral habenular nucleus, paratenial thalamic nucleus, paraventricular thalamic nucleus, mediodorsal thalamic nucleus, reuniens thalamic nucleus, median eminence, medial mammillary nucleus, subthalamic nucleus, pars compacta of substantia nigra, oculomotor nucleus, red nucleus, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, reticular tegmental nucleus, cuneiform nucleus, nucleus locus coeruleus, and dorsal motor nucleus of vagus among which substantia innominata and median eminence were previously reported. Efferent connections to the nucleus of Darkschewitsch, interstitial nucleus of Cajal, dorsal tegmental nucleus, ventral tegmental nucleus, vestibular nuclei, nucleus raphe obsculus were very weak or abscent in the ventral approach while they were observed in dorsal approach. Previously reported afferent connections from dorsal tegmental nucleus, cuneiform nucleus, and nucleus locus ceruleus were not detected in this study. Zona incerta seemed to receive afferent connections from MP in dorsal approach but projection alone was detected to MP in ventral approach. The present results were discussed in reference to the previous results and the functional implications.