title: An immunohistochemical investigation of the opioid cell column in lamina X of the male rat lumbosacral spinal cord.
abstract: Tri-color immunohistochemistry was employed to examine enkephalin-like immunoreactive neurons in lamina X of the rat lumbosacral spinal cord. Serial coronal sections from levels L1 to S3 were examined. A rostral group of large (40-50 microm diameter), pyramidal-shaped enkephalin-like immunoreactive neurons were shown from levels L1 to L4-5. Essentially all of these neurons were also immunoreactive for galanin and cholecystokinin. A second enkephalin-like immunoreactive cell group, extending from L5 to approximately the S2-3 level, contained smaller (20-30 microm diameter), ovoid-shaped perikaryia. Approximately 75% of these enkephalin-like immunoreactive neurons were also immunoreactive for neuropeptide Y. Neurotensin-immunoreactivity was also present in this area, having varying amounts of co-localization with these other two peptides. These results demonstrate that the lumbosacral opioid cell column in lamina X is not a neurochemically homogenous structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35233-7340, USA. tony@email.neuro.uab.edu
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Nicholas
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hökfelt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D048429:Cell Size; D002766:Cholecystokinin / Q000032:analysis; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000032:analysis*; D019004:Galanin / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D004745:Enkephalins; D019004:Galanin; D002766:Cholecystokinin