Visualizing dendritic characteristics of corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons at single-cell resolution in the whole mouse brain

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is an important neuromodulator with wide distribution in the brain. Here, we screened the CRH-IRES-Cre;Ai32 mouse line to reveal the morphologies of individual CRH neurons throughout the mouse brain by using fluorescence micro-optical sectioning tomography (fMOST) system. Diverse dendritic morphologies and projection fibers were found in various brain regions. Reconstructions showed hypothalamic CRH neurons had the smallest somatic volumes and simplest dendritic branches, and CRH neurons in several regions shared a bipolar morphology. Further investigations in the medial prefrontal cortex unveiled somatic depth-dependent morphologies that exhibited three types of connections and CRH neurons in the anterior parvicellular area of hypothalamus had fewer and smaller Herring bodies whereas in the periventricular area had more and larger Herring bodies that were present within fibers projecting to the third ventricle. Our findings provide the most comprehensive intact morphologies of CRH neurons throughout the mouse brain that is currently available.

Large Neurohypophysial Varicosities Amplify Action Potentials: Results from Numerical Simulations

Axons in the neurohypophysis are known for their “beads on a string” morphology, with numerous in-line secretory swellings lined up along the axon cable. A significant fraction of these secretory swellings, called Herring bodies, is large enough to serve as an identifying feature of the neural lobe in histological sections. Little is known about the physiological role such large axonal swellings might play in neuroendocrine physiology. Using numerical simulations, we have investigated whether large in-line varicosities affect the waveform and propagation of action potentials (APs) along neurohypophysial axons. Due to the strong nonlinear dependence of calcium influx on AP waveforms, such modulation would inevitably affect neuroendocrine release. The parameters for our numerical simulations were matched to established properties of voltage-gated ion channels in neurohypophysial swellings. We find that even a single in-line varicosity can severely depress AP waveforms far upstream in the axonal cable. In contrast, AP depolarization within varicosities becomes amplified. Amplification within varicosities varies in a nontrivial manner with varicosity dimensions, and is most pronounced for diameters close to those of Herring bodies. Overall, we find that large axonal varicosities significantly modulate AP waveforms and their propagation, and do so over large distances. Varicosity size is the main determinant for the observed AP amplification, with the kinetics of voltage-gated ion channels playing a noticeable but secondary role. Our results imply that large varicosities are sites of enhanced hormone release, suggesting that small and large varicosities target different neurohypophysial structures.

Tyrosine Hydroxylase in Vasopressinergic Axons of the Pituitary Posterior Lobe of Rats Under Salt-Loading as a Manifestation of Neurochemical Plasticity

In this.study, we attempted to test whether tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the first ratelimiting enzyme of catecholamine synthesis, is confined to the perikarya of activated magnocellular vasopressinergic (VPergic) neurons or is also present in their distal axons in the pituitary posterior lobe (PL). In addition, we evaluated the possible correlation between TH and VP turnover in the axons of rats drinking 2% NaCl for 1, 2, and 3 weeks. To this aim, we examined the large swellings of VPergic axons, the so-called Herring bodies, using the doubleimmunofluorescent technique and the avidinbiotin technique, combined with image analysis. Here we have demonstrated for the first time a colocalization of TH and VP in Herring bodies, which is a strong argument in favor of TH transport from the perikarya of VPergic neurons via axons toward their terminals. THimmunoreactive (IR) and VP-IR materials were distributed in Herring bodies with seeming zonality. The number of VP-IR Herring bodies decreased by a factor of four over the first week of osmotic stimulation, remaining at almost the same low level until the end of the experiment. Conversely, the content of the VP-IR material within the individual Herring bodies fell gradually during the three weeks of saltloading. The results suggest that VP depletion from Herring bodies prevails in its transport into these structures during the whole period of osmotic stimulation. In contrast to VP-IR Herring bodies, the number of TH-IR Herring bodies and the content of TH-IR material within the individual Herring bodies increased progressively during the entire experiment. The synchronization of the VP depletion and TH accumulation in Herring bodies during longterm osmotic stimulation raised the question about a possible functional interaction between both substances.

A note on the caudal neurosecretory system and seasonal changes observed in the urophysis of Rita rita (Bleeker)

The general histomorphology of the caudal neurosecretory system of Rita rita has been studied in samples taken each month of the year. During the breeding months (August and September) the stored material disappears from a considerable number of Herring bodies, leaving lacunae in their place. Simultaneously blood capillaries increase in volume. In the light of these findings, a correlation has been established between this system and reproduction.