Electrophysiology of mammalian hypothalamic and interpeduncular neurons in vitro.

Electrical activities of the hypothalamic and interpeduncular neurons were studied in vitro in brain slices prepared from the guinea-pig brain stem. Neurons preserved resting membrane potentials comparable to those of neurons in vivo, responded to stimulation of the afferent fibres, and retained stable spontaneous firings for more than several hours.     

Development of dopaminergic neurons in the mammalian brain

Dopaminergic neurons in the mammalian brain have received substantial attention in the past given their fundamental role in several body functions and behaviours. The largest dopaminergic population is found in two nuclei of the ventral midbrain. Cells of the substantia nigra pars compacta are involved in the control of voluntary movements and postural reflexes, and their degeneration in the adult brain leads to Parkinson’s disease. Cells of the ventral tegmental area modulate rewarding and cognitive behaviours, and their dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of addictive disorders and schizophrenia. Because of their clinical relevance, the embryonic development and maintenance of the midbrain dopaminergic cell groups in the adult have been intensively studied in recent years. In the present review, we provide an overview of the mechanisms and factors involved in the development of dopaminergic neurons in the mammalian brain, with a special emphasis on the midbrain dopaminergic population. Received 17 August 2005; received after revision 28 September 2005; accepted 21 October 2005     

Fluorescence histochemical demonstration of the uptake of dopamine-derived dihydroisoquinoline in the hypothalamic neurons

Summary The uptake and the accumulation of dopamine-derived fluorescent dihydroisoquinoline were demonstrated with direct fluorescence histochemistry in the hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons, in the nerves of the neurointermediate lobe, and in some endocrine cells of the hypophysis of the rat.     

Determination of the connectivity of newborn neurons in mammalian olfactory circuits

The mammalian olfactory bulb is a forebrain structure just one synapse downstream from the olfactory sensory neurons and performs the complex computations of sensory inputs. The formation of this sensory circuit is shaped through activity-dependent and cell-intrinsic mechanisms. Recent studies have revealed that cell-type specific connectivity and the organization of synapses in dendritic compartments are determined through cell-intrinsic programs already preset in progenitor cells. These progenitor programs give rise to subpopulations within a neuron type that have distinct synaptic organizations. The intrinsically determined formation of distinct synaptic organizations requires factors from contacting cells that match the cell-intrinsic programs. While certain genes control wiring within the newly generated neurons, other regulatory genes provide intercellular signals and are only expressed in neurons that will form contacts with the newly generated cells. Here, the olfactory system has provided a useful model circuit to reveal the factors regulating assembly of the highly structured connectivity in mammals.     

Interaction of DEAE-dextran with mammalian cells cultivated in vitro

Zusammenfassung Wachstum, morphologische Eigenschaften und Karyotypie kultivierter L-Zellen wurden nach Applikation von DEAE-Dextran im Inkubations-medium untersucht. In einer Konzentration von 500 g/ml (was die Aufnahme von exogener DNS fördert) und bei einer Einwirkung während 30 min verändert DEAE-Dextran die untersuchten Eigenschaften nicht.     

Insulin acts on the hypothalamic glucose-facilitated neurons to induce hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in the rat

Microinjection of insulin (0.04-0.12 IU/microliter) into the anterior hypothalamus or the lateral hypothalamus, but not the ventromedial hypothalamus of the rat brain, caused a dose-dependent rise in blood glucose and in serum insulin. The majority (71.5%) of the glucose-facilitated neurons recorded in the lateral hypothalamic area were excited by intracerebral injection of insulin. The data indicate that insulin acts on the hypothalamic glucose-facilitated neurons to induce hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. It is unknown whether insulin normally reaches the hypothalamic area, or how it might do so.     

Insulin acts on the hypothalamic glucose-facilitated neurons to induce hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in the rat

Microinjection of insulin (0.04–0.12 IU/l) into the anterior hypothalamus or the lateral hypothalamus, but not the vertromedial hypothalamus of the rat brain, caused a dose-dependent rise in blood glucose and in serum insulin. The majority (71.5%) of the glucose-facilitated neurons recorded in the lateral hypothalamic area were excited by intracerebral injection of insulin. The data indicate that insulni acts on the hypothalamic glucose-facilitated neurons to induce hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. It is unknown whether insulin normally reaches the hypothalamic area, or how it might do so.This work was supported by grants from the National Science Council (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China).     

In vitro formation of a MSH-releasing agent by hypothalamic extracts

Résumé La fraction mitochondriale d'extraits du noyau paraventriculaire du rat incubée avec de l'oxytocine produit la formation d'un agent capable de libérer MSH de l'hypophyse. Les résultats suggèrent que la formation de l'agent qui libère la MSH hypophysaire résulte de la dégradation enzymatique des hormones neurohypophysaires.

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This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas of Argentina.     

Choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase in spinal motor neurons cultured in vitro

Zusammenfassung Die Enzymaktivität der Cholinacetyltransferase und Acetylcholinesterase wurde an Nervenzellen des Rückenmarks von Hühnerembryonen in Gewebekultur mit histochemischer Methode untersucht, wobei die Enzymaktivität sowohl an der Zelloberfläche wie auch an den Dentriten nachzuweisen ist.