The localization of vasotocin and neurophysin neurons in the diencephalon of the pigeon, Columba livia

Abstract

Vasotocin (VT)- and neurophysin (NP)-synthesizing neurons were demonstrated by immunocytochemistry in the diencephalon of the pigeon, Columba livia. Three diencephalic regions contain VT-NP cells: (1) periventricular preoptic area and hypothalamus, including nucleus periventricularis magnocellularis (PVM); (2) lateral preoptic area and hypothalamus; and (3) dorsal diencephalon. The immunoreactive cells in each of these three regions were divided into groups based on cytology and topography. No differences were found in the location of VT and NP cell groups. The periventricular region contains three continuous cell groups (P1-P3) extending from the posteroventral preoptic area to the anterodorsal hypothalamus and PVM. The lateral region has two cell groups composed of medium- to large-sized cells associated with the quintofrontal tract (L1) or with the optic tract (L2), while a third group (L3) lies between these two cell groups. Two accessory cell groups reside in the dorsolateral hypothalamus; L4 contains scattered cells of varied size, whereas L5 has small- to medium-sized cells clumped together. The dorsal diencephalic cell groups are found in the following locations: (1) lateral and dorsal to the lateral forebrain bundle (DD1); (2) in the area ventral to the dorsomedial anterior thalamic nucleus and dorsolateral to PVM (DD2); and (3) at the dorsolateral border of nucleus rotundus (DD3). To avoid potentially inaccurate mammalian homologies, the cell group nomenclature denotes topographic position. Nevertheless, the presence of VT-NP cells in PVM and projections to the brainstem and spinal cord suggest a homology between PVM and some of the parvocellular subnuclei of the mammalian paraventricular nucleus.

Immunoreactivity Distribution of Vasotocin and Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide in Brain Nuclei of Two Songbird Species with Different Breeding Systems

“…Presence of vasotocinergic neurones in BNST and fibres in the SL and POM has been demonstrated in zebra finches [Kimura et al, 1999], canaries [Voorhuis et al, 1988], quails [Viglietti-Panzica, 1986;Aste et al, 1997], domestic fowls [Viglietti-Panzica, 1986;Jurkevich and Grossmann, 2003], pigeons [Berk et al, 1982] and Peking ducks [Viglietti-Panzica, 1986]. In blue tits and penduline tits, these structures are sexually dimorphic, as in most avian species studied until now [Voorhuis et al, 1988[Voorhuis et al, , 1991Aste et al, 1997;Jurkevich and Grossmann, 2003].…”

The Hypothalamic Magnocellular System in the Domestic Fowl

“…1980: Viglietti-Panzica arid Panzica. 1981a] and immunocytochemical techniques [Berk et al. 1982: Tennyson et al.…”

“…1929], In spite of the several studies realized, there are a great deal of confusion, due to the lack of a detailed description of the topographic location of stained cell groups, and numerous inconsistencies in the nomencla ture, which was pointed out by some authors [Berk et al. 1982: Tennyson et al.…”

Neuroanatomical distribution of vasotocin in a urodele amphibian (Taricha granulosa) revealed by immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization techniques

“…Early studies of VTir cell bodies and fibers in nonmammalian vertebrates were restricted to the preoptic region in the lungfish, Protopterus aethiopica (Goossens et al, 1978), cyclostomes (Goossens et al, 1977;Nozaki and Gorbman, 1983), a cartilaginous fish (Vallarino et al, 1990), teleost fish (Schreibman and Halpern, 1980;Cumming et al, 1982;Yulis and Lederis, 1987;Olivereau et al, 1988), amphibians (Vandesande and Dierickx, 1980;Fasolo and Gaudino, 1981;Van Vossel-Daeninck et al, 1981;Conway and Gainer, 1987;Carr and Norris, 1990), reptiles (Bons and Pérézi, 1981;Fasolo and Gaudino, 1982), and birds (Berk et al, 1982;Blä hser, 1983;Tennyson et al, 1985).…”