Two neuronal groups for NaCl with differential taste response properties and topographical distributions in the rat parabrachial nucleus

It is crucial for animals to discriminate between palatable (safe) and aversive (toxic) tastants. The mechanisms underlying neuronal discrimination of taste stimuli remain unclear. We examined relations between taste response properties (spike counts, response duration, and coefficient of variation [CV]) and location of taste‐sensitive neurons in the pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN). Extracellular single units’ activity in the PBN of Wistar rats was recorded using multibarrel glass micropipettes under urethane anesthesia. Forty taste‐sensitive neurons were classified as NaCl (N)‐best (n = 15), NaCl/HCl (NH)‐best (n = 14), HCl (H)‐best (n = 8), and sucrose (S)‐best (n = 3) neurons. The net response to NaCl (15.2 ± 2.3 spikes/s) among the N‐best neurons was significantly larger than that among the NH‐best (4.5 ± 0.8 spikes/s) neurons. The response duration (4.5 ± 0.2 s) of the N‐best neurons to NaCl was significantly longer than that of the NH‐best (2.2 ± 0.3 s) neurons. These differences in the spike counts and the response durations between the two neuronal types in the PBN were similar to that previously reported in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNST). The CVs in the N‐best and the NH‐best neurons were significantly smaller in the PBN than those in the rNST. Histologically, most N‐best neurons (12/13, 92%) were localized to the medial region, while NH‐best neurons (11/13, 85%) were primarily found within the brachium conjunctivum. These results suggest that NaCl‐specific taste information is transmitted by two distinct neuronal groups (N‐best and NH‐best), with different taste properties and locations within rNST to PBN tractography. Future studies on the higher order nuclei for taste could reveal more palatable and aversive taste pathways.