Projections of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to the mesencephalon, pons, and medulla oblongata in the cat

Abstract

Injections of HRP in the nucleus raphe magnus and adjoining medial reticular formation in the cat resulted in many labeled neurons in the lateral part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) but not in the medial part of this nucleus. HRP injections in the nucleus raphe pallidus and in the C2-segment of the spinal cord did not result in labeled neurons in the BNST. Injections of 3H-leucine in the BNST resulted in many labeled fibers in the brain stem. Labeled fiber bundles descended by way of the medial forebrain bundle and the central tegmental field to the lateral tegmental field of pons and medulla. Dense BNST projections could be observed to the substantia nigra pars compacta, the ventral tegmental area, the nucleus of the posterior commissure, the PAG (except its dorsolateral part), the cuneiform nucleus, the nucleus raphe dorsalis, the locus coeruleus, the nucleus subcoeruleus, the medial and lateral parabrachial nuclei, the lateral tegmental field of caudal pons and medulla and the nucleus raphe magnus and adjoining medial reticular formation. Furthermore many labeled fibers were present in the solitary nucleus, and in especially the peripheral parts of the dorsal vagal nucleus. Finally some fibers could be traced in the marginal layer of the rostral part of the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus. These projections appear to be virtually identical to the ones derived from the medial part of the central nucleus of the amygdala (Hopkins and Holstege 1978). The possibility that the BNST and the medial and central amygdaloid nuclei must be considered as one anatomical entity is discussed.

Role of the Hippocampus, the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis, and the Amygdala in the Excitatory Effect of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone on the Acoustic Startle Reflex

“…The BNST is a primary target of the amygdala (de Olmos et al, 1985;Sun et al, 1991;Alheid et al, 1995), and both the BNST and the amygdala share almost identical brainstem target areas implicated in stress and anxiety responses (Schwaber et al, 1980;Takeuchi et al, 1982Takeuchi et al, , 1983Sofroniew, 1983;Swanson et al, 1984;Veening et al, 1984;Holstege et al, 1985;Magnuson, 1987, 1992;Moga et al, 1989). Interestingly, some of the projections to the amygdala (cf.…”

CRH Signalling in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis is Involved in Stress-Induced Cardiac Vagal Activation in Conscious Rats

“…The BNST has been recognized as an important relay station which links the amygdala and hippocampus with the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) and brain stem regions (Herman et al 1994;Pacak et al 1995;Davis et al 1997). Projections have been found from the BNST to autonomic regulatory brain stem areas: the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) (Holstege et al 1985;Gray and Magnuson 1987), caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) (Giancola et al 1993), and dorsal nucleus of the vagus (DMV) (Gray and Magnuson 1987;Hopkins 1987), supporting the role of the BNST in the regulation of autonomic responses.Its rich connections with the amygdala and PVN sug- …”

CGRP antagonist infused into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis impairs the acquisition and expression of context but not discretely cued fear

“…As part of the "extended amygdala" (Alheid and Heimer 1988;Alheid et al 1995), the BNST has rich connections with other brain regions that have been classically associated with stress, fear, and anxiety. The BNST receives many inputs from, for example, the amygdala (c.f., Dong et al 2001a) and projects to a variety of other brain areas that regulate autonomic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses associated with fear (e.g., Holstege et al 1985;Magnuson 1987, 1992;Moga et al 1989;Peyron et al 1998;Dong et al 2000Dong et al , 2001bDong and Swanson 2004).…”