Catecholaminergic parasympathetic efferents within the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus in the rat: a quantitative analysis.

Catecholaminergic vagal motor neurones were identified within the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, by retrograde tracing of True blue from the stomach followed by immunocytochemistry using antibodies directed against tyrosine hydroxylase. Presumed dopaminergic efferents were largely confined to caudal regions, where they averaged as much as 30% of the labelled efferents. Most but not all of these were also identified on the basis of acetylcholinesterase histochemistry.