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Noradrenergic and adrenergic systems in the brain of the urodele amphibian, Pleurodeles waltlii, as revealed by immunohistochemical methods

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Abstract

The distribution of noradrenaline and adrenaline in the brain of the urodele amphibian Pleurodeles waltlii has been studied with antibodies raised against noradrenaline and the enzymes dopamine-β-hydroxylase and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase. Noradrenaline-containing cell bodies were found in the anterior preoptic area, the hypothalamic nucleus of the periventricular organ, the locus coeruleus and in the solitary tract/area postrema complex at the level of the obex. Noradrenergic fibers are widely distributed throughout the brain innervating particularly the ventrolateral forebrain, the medial amygdala, the lateral part of the posterior tubercle, the parabrachial region and the ventrolateral rhombencephalic tegmentum. Putative adrenergic cell bodies were found immediately rostral to the obex, ventral to the solitary tract. Whereas the cell bodies and their dendrites were Golgi-like stained, axons were more difficult to trace. Nevertheless, some weakly immunoreactive fibers could be traced to the basal forebrain. A comparison of these results with data previously obtained in anurans reveals not only several general features, but also some remarkable species differences.

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Abbreviations

Acc :

Nucleus accumbens

AP :

area postrema

Apl :

amygdala, pars lateralis

Apm :

amygdala, pars medialis

ca :

commissura anterior

Cb :

cerebellum

cc :

central canal

Dp :

dorsal pallium

epl :

external plexiform layer

gl :

glomerular layer of the olfactory bulb

H :

ganglion habenulae

igl :

internal granular layer

Ip :

nucleus interpeduncularis

Lc :

locus coeruleus

Ll :

lateral line lobe

Lp :

lateral pallium

Ls :

lateral septum

ml :

mitral cell layer

Mp :

medial pallium

Ms :

medial septum

nPT :

nucleus pretectalis

NPv :

nucleus of the periventricular organ

nV :

nervus trigeminus

oc :

optic chiasm

Poa :

preoptic area

Ri :

nucleus reticularis inferior

SC :

nucleus suprachiasmaticus

sol :

solitary tract

Str :

striatum

thd:

thalamus dorsalis

thv :

thalamus ventralis

To :

tectum opticum

TP :

tuberculum posterius

V :

ventricle

VH :

ventral hypothalamic nucleus

III :

nucleus nervi oculomotorii

IXm :

nucleus motorius nervi glossopharyngei

Xm :

nucleus motorius nervi vagi

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departmento de Biologia Celular, Facultad de Biologia, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

    Agustín González

  2. Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam, Research Institute Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit, NL-1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Wilhelmus J. A. J. Smeets

Authors
  1. Agustín González
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  2. Wilhelmus J. A. J. Smeets
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González, A., Smeets, W.J.A.J. Noradrenergic and adrenergic systems in the brain of the urodele amphibian, Pleurodeles waltlii, as revealed by immunohistochemical methods. Cell Tissue Res 279, 619–627 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318174

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318174

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