Expression of Dopamine Receptors in the Lateral Hypothalamic Nucleus and Their Potential Regulation of Gastric Motility in Rats With Lesions of Bilateral Substantia Nigra

Most Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients experience gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction especially the gastroparesis, but its underlying mechanism is not clear. We have previously demonstrated that the neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) project to the lateral hypothalamic nucleus (LH) and the dorsal motor nucleus of vagus (DMV) receives the neural projection from LH by the means of anterograde and retrograde neural tracing technology. Orexin A (OXA) is predominately expressed in the LH. It has been reported that OXA can alter the gastric motility through the orexin receptor 1 (OX1R) in DMV. We speculated that this SN-LH-DMV pathway could modulate the motility of stomach because of the important role of LH and DMV in the regulation of gastric motility. However, the distribution and expression of dopamine receptors (DR) in the LH is unknown. In the present study, using a double-labeling immunofluorescence technique combined with confocal microscopy, we significantly extend our understanding of the SN-LH-DMV pathway by showing that (1) a considerable quantity of dopamine receptor 1 and 2 (D1 and D2) was expressed in the LH as well as the OX1R was expressed in the DMV; (2) Nearly all of the D1-immuoreactve (IR) neurons were also OXA-positive while only a few neurons express both D2 and OXA in the LH, and the DR-positive neurons were surrounded by the dopaminergic neural fibers; In the DMV, OX1R were colocalized with choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-labeled motor neurons; (3) When the gastroparesis was induced by the destruction of dopaminergic neurons in the SN, the decreased expression of D1 and OXA was observed in the LH as well as the reduced OX1R and ChAT expression in the DMV. These findings suggest that SN might regulate the function of OXA-positive neurons via D1 receptor, which then affect the motor neurons in the DMV through OX1R. If the SN is damaged the vagal pathway would be affected, which may lead to gastric dysfunction. The present study raises the possibility that the SN-LH-DMV pathway can regulate the movement of stomach.

Central nervous system regulation of liver and adipose tissue metabolism

Hypothalamic and autonomic nervous regulation of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism in the liver and of lipid metabolism in adipose tissues is described. The direct neural mechanism underlying this regulation has been evaluated. Electrical stimulation of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH)-splanchnic nerve system causes glycogenolysis in the liver by rapid activation of glycogen phosphorylase, whereas electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic nucleus (LH)-vagus nerve system promotes glycogenesis in the liver by activation of glycogen synthetase, through direct neural and neural-hormonal mechanisms. Studies on chemical coding of the hypothalamic neurones have revealed that norepinephrine-sensitive neurones in the VMH and acetylcholine-sensitive neurones in the LH are specifically involved in the regulation of liver phosphorylase and glycogen synthetase, respectively. Acetylcholine-sensitive neurones of the LH were also found to be concerned in regulation of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity, through intermediation of the cholinergic system in the LH-vagal pathway. Finally, it has been shown that the VMH acts as a regulatory centre for lipolysis in adipose tissues by modulating activation of the sympathetic nervous system. In addition, stimulation of the VMH enhanced lipogenesis in brown adipose tissue preferentially, probably through a mechanism mediated by sympathetic innervation of this tissue. The latter finding suggests that both the breakdown and resynthesis of triglycerides in brown adipose tissue, but not in white adipose tissue, are accelerated by stimulation of the VMH.