title: Prenatal ontogeny of substance P-like immunoreactivity in the parabrachial nucleus of the human fetus--an immunocytochemical study.
abstract: Using an immunocytochemical method, the prenatal ontogeny of substance P-like immunoreactivity (SP-LI) was demonstrated in the parabrachial nucleus (PB) of human fetus, fetal age (menstruation age) 11.5 to 40 weeks. The time of initial appearance of SP-LI in the human brainstem PB was between fetal age 11.5 weeks and 16 weeks. While the fetus grew, the density of SP-LI fibers and terminals in the human fetus brainstem PB increased constantly from fetal age 16 weeks to 40 weeks. These findings indicate that substance P (SP) might play an important role in the human parabrachial nucleus development and in its functional establishment during the prenatal period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xian, P.R. China.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Z R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001933:Brain Stem / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000196:embryology*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D013373:Substance P