Ultrastructural identification of labeled neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve following injections of horseradish peroxidase into the vagus nerve and brainstem.

The efferent connections of two types neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMV) were studied in the cat by light and electron microscopy following horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injections into the cervical vagus nerve or brainstem. After injections of HRP into the vagus nerve, up to 80% of medium-sized neurons averaging 26 x 20 micrometers in 1-micrometer-thick sections were retrogradely labeled while no small neurons were labeled in the DMV. Incubation with either diaminobenzidene (DAB) or p-phenylenediamine-pyrocatechol (PPD-PC) chromogens yielded electron-dense reaction products localized mainly in lysosomes. Identification of label at the ultrastructural level was facilitated by omitting lead citrate staining and by counting numbers of lysosomes, which were higher in labeled neurons. Quantitative comparisons of the dimensions of labeled and unlabeled somata demonstrated that retrograde transport and incorporation of HRP had no effect on cell size within the 2-3-day survival times used in this study. In order to determine whether neurons in the DMV project to higher levels of the brain stem, large injections of HRP (1-3 microliters) were made into the pons, mesencephalon, hypothalamus, and amygdala. After injections of HRP into the brainstem, only small neurons, measuring 17 x 10 micrometers, were retrogradely labeled. Approximately 90% of the small neurons remained unlabeled following the HRP injections. The ultrastructural features of the labeled small neurons included an invaginated nucleus, low cytoplasmic/nuclear ratio, and relatively fewer organelles than the medium-sized neurons. A quantitative analysis of labeled and unlabeled small neurons demonstrated that the labeled neurons were significantly larger than the unlabeled small neurons. Thus, two populations of small neurons may exist in the DMV. One population appears to have ascending projections to higher levels of the brainstem while the other more numerous population may be interneurons or project for only short distances.