Oligosynaptic pathways possibly relaying visceral and/or gustatory information to the olfactory bulb in the hedgehog tenrec

Abstract

Using anterograde and retrograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin we showed that the parabrachial nucleus, known to receive second order visceral and gustatory afferents, might project directly to the anterior olfactory nucleus which is connected with the olfactory bulb (OfB). Only a small bulbar region is targeted directly by parabrachial fibers. This region is located immediately adjacent to the accessory OfB and may be closely related to, if not identical with the modified glomerular complex. To further substantiate the presence of true parabrachio-bulbar projections thyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry was employed. The absence of immunoreactive neurons in the parabrachial nucleus and the different distribution patterns of immunoreactive fibers and axons labeled with wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase in the target areas make it unlikely that catecholaminergic fibers were involved in the projections shown.