ISSN : 1226-9654
Electrical or chemical activation of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) can produce antinociception in rats. This study investigated the functional involvement of midbrain structures, especially the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), in antinociception from the NTS. The threshold for NTS stimulation - produced antinociception (SPA) was tested before and after the following lesions: 1) Knife sections at the rostral and/ or caudal limits of the midbrain; 2) Electrolytic lesions of the PAG; and 3) Spinal lesions. An increase in SPA threshold occured after sections caudal but not rostral to the PAG, after lesions in dorsal and lateral but not ventral PAG, and after complete spinal transection or selective bilateral section of the dorsolateral funiculus. It is suggested that antinociception triggered by activation of the NTS is mediated in part by NTS projections to the PAG.