Summary
-
1.
In lactating rats and in rats deprived of water, the amount of neurosecretory material in the fibres of the neurosecretory hypothalamohindbrain pathway exceeds that in untreated control animals. Under these experimental conditions the pathway and its target regions can be well analysed by means of fluorescence and electron microscopic methods.
-
2.
The axons belonging to the hypothalamo-hindbrain pathway originate from perikarya located in the caudal portion of the nucleus paraventricularis and also from a small group of perikarya in the caudo-lateral hypothalamus. On the way to the hindbrain the neurosecretory fibres join other fibre bundles of the mid- and hindbrain.
-
3.
In the hindbrain most of the neurosecretory fibres terminate in the area of the nucleus tractus solitarii and in the area of the dorsal column nuclei. The axon terminals form synapses with other neurones.
-
4.
Using cytochemical methods at the ultrastructural level (Naumann and Sterba, 1976), the authors were able to prove that the vesicles in the exohypothalamic fibres and in their synaptic terminals contain the same sort of material as the neurophysin vesicles in the posterior lobe of the hypophysis.
-
5.
The most distinct increase in neurophysin was observed in lactating females which were separated from their sucklings after a normal lactation period of 15 days and killed four days thereafter, and in rats deprived of water for different time periods.
-
6.
The relationship of the neurosecretory hypothalamo-hindbrain pathway to the nucleus tractus solitarii and to the dorsal column nuclei suggests that, functionally, there may be a correlation between the system of blood-pressure control and the milk ejection reflex.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bock, R.: Über die Darstellbarkeit neurosekretorischer Substanz mit Chromalaun-Gallocyanin im supraopticohypophsären System beim Hund. Histochemie 6, 362–369 (1966)
Chalmers, J.P.: Brain amines and models of experimental hypertension. Circ. Res. 36, 469–480 (1975)
Eayrs, J.T., Baddeley, R.M.: Neural pathways in lactation. J. Anat. 90, 161–171 (1956)
Hoheisel, G., Ruble, H.-J., Sterba, G.: The reticular formation of lampreys (Petromyzonidae). A target area for exohypothalamic vasotocinergic fibres. Cell Tissue Res. 189, 331–345 (1978)
Jong, W.de, Zandberg, P., Bohus, B.: Central inhibitory noradrenergic cardiovascular control. In: Hormones, homeostasis and the brain (W.H. Gispen, T.B. van Wimersma Geidanus, B. Bohus, D. de Wied, eds.). Prog. Brain Res. 42, 285–298 (1975)
Kalimo, H.: Ultrastructural studies on the hypothalamic neurosecretory neurons of the rat. III. Paraventricular and supraoptic neurons during lactation and dehydration. Cell Tissue Res. 163, 151–168 (1975)
Korner, P.: Integrative neural cardiovascular control. Physiol. Rev. 51, 312–367 (1971)
Lincoln, D.W.: Dynamics of oxytocin secretion. In: Neurosecretion. The final neuroendocrine pathway (F. Knowles and L. Vollrath, eds.), pp. 129–135. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1974a
Lincoln, D.W.: Does a mechanism of negative feed-back determine the intermittent release of oxytocin during suckling? J. Endocrinol. 60, 193–194 (1974b)
Lincoln, D.W., Tribollet, E., Dreifuss, J.J.: The Ferguson and milk-ejection reflexes compared in terms of neural activation and hormone release in lactating rats. Proc. of Soc. Endocr. pp. 71–72 (1977)
Lincoln, D.W., Wakerly, J.B.: Factors governing the periodic activation of supraoptic and paraventricular neurosecretory cells during suckling in the rat. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 250, 443–461 (1975)
Malandra, B.: Beobachtungen am neurosekretorischen Zwischenhirnsystem der normalen, trächtigen und laktierenden Ratte. Z. Zellforsch. 43, 594–611 (1956)
Mena, F., Beyer, C.: Effect of spinal cord lesions on milkejection in the rabbit. Endokrinologie 83, 615–617 (1968)
Monroe, B., Scott, D.: Ultrastructural changes in the neural lobe of the hypophysis of the rat during lactation and suckling. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 14, 497–517 (1966)
Naumann, W., Sterba, G.: Ultrastructural studies on neurophysine-containing vesicles of the neurosecretory system of vertebrates. Cell Tissue Res. 165, 545–553 (1976)
Norström, A., Sjöstrand, J.: Effect of salt-loading, thirst and water-loading on transport and turnover of neurohypophyseal proteins of the rat. J. Endocrinol. 52, 87–105 (1972a)
Norström, A., Sjöstrand, J.: Effect of suckling on axonal transport and turnover of neurohypophyseal proteins of the rat. J. Endocrinol. 52, 107–117 (1972b)
Palkovits, M., Jacobowitz, D.M.: Topographic atlas of catecholamine and acetylcholinesterase containing neurons in the rat. J. Comp. Neurol. 157, 29–42 (1974)
Reinhard, H.F., Hennig, L. Ch., Rohr, H.P.: Morphometrisch-ultrastrukturelle Untersuchungen am Hypophysenhinterlappen der Ratte nach Dehydratation. Z. Zellforsch. 102, 182–192 (1969)
Reynolds, E.S.: The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electron-opaque stain in electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol. 17, 208–212 (1963)
Richard, P.H., Urban, I., Denamur, R.: The role of the dorsal tracts of the spinal cord in the milkejection reflex during milking in the ewe. J. Endocrinol. 47, 45–53 (1970)
Schober, F.: Untersuchungen zur Morphologie des peptidergen Neurosekretsystems der Ratte unter besonderer Berücksichtigung intra-und exohypothalamischer Verbindungen sowie der Angio-und Myeloarchitektonik. Dissertation (unveröffentlicht), Leipzig 1972
Schober, F.: Darstellung der neurosekretorischen hypothalamo-rhombenzephalen Verbindung bei der Ratte durch retrograden axonalen Transport von Meerrettich-Peroxidase. Acta Biol. Med. Ger. 37, 165–167 (1978)
Schober, F., Trautmann, U., Naumann, W., Sterba, G.: Die oxytocinergen exohypothalamischen Verbindungen zur Medulla oblongata bei der Taube und der Ratte. Acta Biol. Med. Ger. 36, 1183–1186 (1977)
Schwarzberg, H.: Untersuchungen über den Einfluß des Wasserentzuges auf das periphere und zentralnervöse Geschehen an Ratten. Acta Biol. Med. Ger. 24, 507–510 (1970)
Sherlock, D.A., Field, P.M., Raisman, G.: Retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase in the magnocellular neurosecretory system of the rat. Brain Res. 88, 414–130 (1975)
Sterba, G.: Über eine sehr spezifische neue Methode zum Nachweis von Neurosekret. Acta Biol. Med. Ger. 7, 228–231 (1961)
Sterba, G.: Grundlagen des histochemischen und biochemischen Nachweises von Neurosekret (= Trägerprotein der Oxytocine) mit Pseudoisocyaninen. Acta Histochem. (Jena) 17, 268–292 (1964)
Sterba, G.: Das oxytocinerge neurosekretorische System der Wirbeltiere. Beitrag zu einem erweiterten Konzept. Zool. Jb. Physiol. 78, 409–423 (1974a)
Sterba, G.: Ascending neurosecretory pathways of the peptidergic type. In: Neurosecretion. The final neuroendocrine pathway (F. Knowles and L. Vollrath, eds.), pp. 38–47. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1974b
Sterba, G.: Morphologische Grundlagen einer humoralen Informationsübermittlung durch Peptide bei Wirbeltieren. Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. DDR 5N, 40–61 (1977a)
Sterba, G.: Oxytocinergic exohypothalamic neurosecretory system of the vertebrates and memory processes. In: Neurosecretion and neuroendocrine activity (Bargmann, W. et al., eds.), pp. 293–299. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1978
Sterba, G., Hoheisel, G., Wegelin, R., Naumann, W., Schober, F.: Peptide hormone vesicles within neuro-neuronal synapses. Brain Res. (1979) (in press)
Sterba, G., Schober, F.: Das klassische neurosekretorische System der Ratte. In: Topographie und Zytologie neurosekretorischer Systeme, Bd. 1 (G. Sterba, ed.). Jena: Gustav Fischer 1979
Tanaka, M., de Kloet, R., De Wied, D., Versteeg, D.H.G.: Arginine8 — vasopressin affects catecholamine metabolism, in specific brain nuclei. Life Sci. 20, 1799–1808 (1977)
Tindal, J.S., Knaggs, B.: Further studies on the afferent path of the milk-ejection reflex in the brain stem of the rabbit. J. Endocrinol. 66, 107–113 (1975)
Unger, H.: Funktionelle Aspekte der Informationsübermittlung durch Vasopressin und Oxytocin bei Säugetieren. Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. DDR 5N, 62–84 (1977)
Urban, I., Moss, R.L., Cross, B.A.: Problems in electrical Stimulation of afferent pathway for oxytocin release. J. Endocrinol. 51, 347–358 (1971)
Wakerley, J.B., Deverson, B.M.: Stimulation of the supraoptic-hypophyseal tract in rat during suckling. J. Endocrinol. 66, 439–440 (1975)
Wegelin, R., Sterba, G., Hoheisel, G.: Licht-und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen am exohypothalamischen oxytocinergen System von Pleurodeles waltli MICHAH. (Urodela). Biol. Zbl. 94, 633–660 (1975)
Wohlfarth-Bottermann, K.E.: Die Kontrastierung tierischer Zellen und Gewebe im Rahmen ihrer elektronenmikroskopischen Untersuchung an ultradünnen Schnitten. Naturwissenschaften 44, 287–288 (1957)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by grants from the Ministry for Science and Technology of the German Democratic Republic
Acknowledgements: For skilled technical assistance the authors are indebted to their colleagues Mrs. S. Mehnert, E. Siebert, C. Schneider, I. Seifert, M. Eigenbrod, and D. Naumann
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sterba, G., Hoffmann, E., Solecki, R. et al. The neurosecretory hypothalamo-hindbrain pathway and its possible significance for the regulation of blood pressure and the milk-ejection reflex. Cell Tissue Res. 196, 321–336 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00240105
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00240105