Studies of the pedunculopontine (PPT) and laterodorsal tegmental (LDT) nuclei in the mesopontine tegmentum have emphasized the organization and projections of the cholinergic neurons. We report here that exhibiting glutamate immunoreactivity are present in both the LDT and PPT. These glutamatergic neurons are interspersed among the cholinergic neurons within both nuclei with no apparent segregation. These data raise the possibility that excitatory amino acids contribute to the functions of the LDT and PPT.