Development of vasoactive-intestinal-polypeptide-immunoreactive neurons in the rat occipital cortex: a combined immunohistochemical-autoradiographic study.
The postnatal development of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-immunoreactive neurons, previously labeled with [3H]thymidine on embryonic days E14-E22, has been studied in the rat occipital cortex. Immuno-histochemistry combined with autoradiography showed very little evidence of an "inside-out" pattern of maturation. Most VIP neurons are generated between E17 and E21 and are found in layers II-IV of the cortex, but their position within these layers is not dictated by their date of birth. There is evidence of a temporal maturation since E17 VIP neurons were seen first (at day 7) and E21 last. Peak numbers of VIP neurons were generated on E19. The numbers of VIP-immunoreactive neuronal somata detected in the cortex increased from the first week after birth to the third week and declined thereafter. However VIP-immunoreactive dendrites were still visible, suggesting that VIP levels in the cell bodies were very low, and not that there was a loss of neurons.
Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, England.
M E
ME
Cavanagh
J G
JG
Parnavelas
D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005865:Gestational Age; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013936:Thymidine; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D013936:Thymidine