title: Distribution of FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity in the amphibian brain: comparative analysis.
abstract: FMRFamide is a small neuropeptide present in particular neurons of the basal forebrain and midbrain of the vertebrate groups studied, especially fishes and mammals. In order to assess interspecies variation, the distribution of FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity was studied in the brains of 13 species of amphibian. Although FMRFamide-immunoreactive (IR) terminals occurred throughout much of the brain, IR cell groups were noted in circumscribed regions of the CNS. In the eight anuran species studied, two major populations of labeled perikarya were observed: one in the septopreoptic area and another one in the caudal portion of the diencephalon. The rostrocaudal extent of both and the number of labeled somata in each neuronal group displayed species-specific differences. In urodeles and gymnophiones, labeled perikarya were located in the diencephalon, but there were remarkable species differences in the number of such cells. It is discussed whether sex or season of collection may account for some of the differences observed. The distribution of FMRFamide-IR perikarya, fibers, and pathways in the brain of anurans, urodeles, and gymnophiones was compared. The existence of FMRFamide perikarya in the anterior preoptic neuropil and medial septum appeared to be a feature common to all anurans; labeled neurons in the dorsal thalamus, however, may be present only in the (viviparous) gymnophione Typhlonectes compressicauda. Cerebrospinal fluid contacting FMRFamide neuronal cell bodies and fibers were observed in each of the three taxonomic orders. The data are compared with those previously obtained for other groups of vertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Zoologia, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80134 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pinelli
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: D'Aniello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiorentino
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calace
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Meglio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iela
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Bagnara
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Rastogi
mesh_terms: D000663:Amphibians; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D019835:FMRFamide / Q000032:analysis*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000166:cytology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D019835:FMRFamide