AAS ›› 2015, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (6): 737-741.doi: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2015.06.003

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Morphological evidence that rotatory stimulation to vestibular end organs activates paraventriclar hypothalamic nucleus neurons

ZHANG Hao-qiang 1,2 FANG Yan1 Lü Xing 1,3 ZHANG Fu-xing 1* LI Jin-lian1 LI Yun-qing1   

  1. 1. Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology; 2. Department of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital; 3. Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, China
  • Received:2015-04-28 Revised:2015-05-23 Online:2015-12-06 Published:2015-12-06
  • Contact: ZHANG Fu-xing E-mail:zfxmq@126.com

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the activation of paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (Pa ) neurons in response to motion stimulation of venstibular end organs in order to explore the role of Pa in vestibularautonomic responses and the neural mechanism therein. Methods A total of ten male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were equally divided into two groups, i.e. control and vestibular lesion groups. Sodium 4-aminophenylarsonate (100 g/L ) was injected bilaterally into tympanic cavities to destroy the labyrinth of inner ear. After 2 hours-motion stimulation by double-axes rotation for two groups of animals, brain blocks containing Pa were removed and cut coronally into slices of 25μm thick. The sections were then processed for Fos protein immunostaining by avidin-biotin complex (ABC) method before examination, quantification and statistical analysis of Fos-positive neurons in Pa. Results Successful chemical labyrinthectomy induced body imbalance presenting with head jerking or trembling rock from side to side, shaking and unstable or circular walking behaviours. Immunohistochemical staining showed a great number of Fos-postive neurons in several regions of Pa, with higher staining density observed in Pa, periventricular hypothalamic nucleus and lateral hypothalamus. Statistical analysis demonstrates that Fos-positive neurons in Pa,as compared with those in normal animals, were significantly reduced in animals of vestibular lesion group (P<0.05 ), represented by 104.00±7.00 and 62.67±7.06 for normal and lesioned animals, respectively. Conclusion Vestibular signal activates Pa neurons, suggesting that Pa neurons play specific roles in generation of vestibular-autonomic responses.

Key words: Paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, Hypothalamus, Vestibular end organ, Fos protein, Immunohistochemistry, Rat