Lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus

Figure 4.2 Model of the network responsible for paradoxical sleep onset and maintenance Abbreviations DRN, dorsal raphe nucleus 5-HT, serotonin LC, locus coeruleus NA, noradrenaline LDT, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus Ach, acetylcholine Me, magnocellular reticular nucleus Gly glycine DPMe, deep mesencephalic reticular nucleus PAG, periaqueductal gray DPGi, dorsal paragigantocellular reticular nucleus PPT, pedunculopontine nucleus PRN, pontine reticular nucleus SLD, sublaterodorsal nucleus Glu, glutamate Pef/HLA perifornical/lateral hypothalamic area Hcrt, hypocretin (i.e. orexin).

The neural structures involved in the promotion of the waking (W) state are located in the (1) brainstem [dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), median raphe nucleus (MRN), locus coeruleus (LC), laterodorsal and pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei (LDT/PPT), and medial-pontine reticular formation (mPRF)] (2) hypothalamus [tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) and lateral hypothalamus (LH)[ (3) basal forebrain (BFB) (medial septal area, nucleus basalis of Meynert) and (4) midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) (Pace-Schott Hobson, 2002 Jones, 2003). The following neurotransmitters function to promote W (1) acetylcholine (ACh LDT/PPT, BFB) (2) noradrenaline (NA LC) (3) serotonin (5-HT DRN, MRN) (4) histamine (HA TMN) (5) glutamate (GLU mPRF, BFB, thalamus) (6) orexin (OX LH) and (7) dopamine (DA VTA, SNc) (Zoltoski et al, 1999 Monti, 2004). 

The central adrenergic system. It is only recently that immunohistochemical methods have been developed to show that adrenaline-containing cells occur in the brain. Some of these cells are located in the lateral tegmental area, while others are found in the dorsal medulla. Axons from these cells innervate the hypothalamus, the locus coeruleus and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve. While the precise function of adrenergic system within the brain is uncertain, it may be surmized that adrenaline could play a role in endocrine regulation and in the central control of blood pressure. There is evidence that the concentration of this amine in cerebrospinal fluid... 

Fig. 13. Diagrammatic representation of the efferent connections of the ventral mesencephalon. C-P, nucleus caudatus-putamen Ac, nucleus accumbens Am, amygdala VM, ventromedial nucleus of thalamus HL, lateral habenular nucleus SNc, substantia nigra (pars compacta) SNr, substantia nigra (pars reticulata) AVT, ventral tegmental area of Tsai SC, superior colliculus NRa dorsal raph nucleus LC, locus coeruleus TPC, pedunculo pontine nucleus. (From Beckstead et al., 1979, with kind permission of the authors.)...

PP, peripeduncular nucleus PR, prerubral field Reth, retroethmoid nucleus RMC, red nucleus, magnocellular RPC, red nucleus, parvocellular scp, superior cerebellar peduncle SNC, substantia nigra, compact part SNL, substantia nigra, lateral part SNR, substantia nigra, reticular part SPFPC, subparafascicular thalamic nucleus, parvocellular part SuML, supramammillary nucleus, lateral part VTA, ventral tegmental area VTM, ventral tuberomammillary nucleus ZID, zona incerta, dorsal part ZIV, zona incerta, ventral part 3, oculomotor nucleus 3n, oculomotor nerve or its root. Reproduced with permission from Paxinos and Watson (1998) and Paxinos et al. (1999). 

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