Connections between retrotrapezoid nucleus and nucleus tractus solitarii in cat.

The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), a part of the rostral ventrolateral medulla, is involved in the control of breathing. The mechanisms by which the RTN modulate the activity of respiratory neurons during chemoreceptor stimulation are not fully understood. This electrophysiological study performed in the cat demonstrates that 18 out of 22 RTN neurons receive inputs from the commissural subnucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS), the peripheral chemoreceptor afferents projection site. Moreover, six RTN neurons are found to present interconnection between RTN and the ventrolateral subnucleus of the solitary tract, an area containing mainly bulbo-spinal respiratory neurons. The present data suggest that RTN play a key role by concomitantly integrating chemosensitive informations relayed by the cNTS and providing an influence on the respiratory network.