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Vasoactive intestinal peptide-immunoreactive cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons in the reptilian lateral septum nucleus accumbens

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Abstract

By means of immunocytochemical demonstration of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting neurons was found in a circumscribed region of the nucleus accumbens/lateral septum of eleven reptilian (chelonian, lacertilian, ophidian, crocodilian) species. Basal processes of these cells contribute to a subependymal plexus whose density displays considerable interspecific variation. VIP-immunoreactive nerve fibers occur also in the lateral septum and the nucleus accumbens where they encompass immunonegative cells in a basket-like pattern. The CSF-contacting neurons are surrounded by columnar ependymocytes frequently arranged in a pseudostratified manner. These specialized arrays of ependymal cells, however, occupy a more extended area than the VIP-immunoreactive CSF-contacting neurons and can be traced from the rostro-ventral pole of the lateral ventricle to the interventricular foramen. These observations suggest the existence of a telencephalic site of CSF-contacting neurons which may be more widespread than hitherto thought and which may participate in a circumventricular system of the lateral ventricle. Previous studies mainly performed with birds indicate that the VIP-immunoreactive CSF-contacting neurons of the nucleus accumbens might form a part of the “encephalic” (extraretinal and extrapineal) photoreceptor. However, further experiments are required to test this supposition since the VIP-immunoreactive neurons of the nucleus accumbens remained unlabeled by antibodies against bovine rodopsin and chicken cone-opsin in all eleven species analysed in this investigation.

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Author notes

  1. Kanjun Hirunagi

    Present address: Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Nagoya University, Chikusa, 464-01, Nagoya, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Morphology, Section Neurobiology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

    Kanjun Hirunagi & Horst -W. Korf

  2. Department of Anatomy and Cytobiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Aulweg 123, D-35385, Giessen, Germany

    Elke Rommel & Andreas Oksche

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  1. Kanjun Hirunagi
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  2. Elke Rommel
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  3. Andreas Oksche
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  4. Horst -W. Korf
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Hirunagi, K., Rommel, E., Oksche, A. et al. Vasoactive intestinal peptide-immunoreactive cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons in the reptilian lateral septum nucleus accumbens. Cell Tissue Res 274, 79–90 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00327988

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