title: Nerve Growth Factor Receptor-immunoreactive Fibres Innervate the Reticular Thalamic Nucleus: Modulation by Nerve Growth Factor Treatment in Neonate, Adult and Aged Rats.
abstract: Terminal arborizations expressing nerve growth factor receptor (NGF-R) have been detected with immunohistochemistry in the reticular thalamic nucleus of neonate, adult and aged rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) resulted in a dramatic increase in NGF-R immunoreactivity throughout the lifespan. This effect was paralleled by a concomitant increase in NGF-R immunopositivity in the neurons of the basal forebrain, which was here demonstrated also in aged animals, thus indicating that the NGF-R immunoreactivity within the reticular thalamic nucleus derives in all likelihood from cholinergic neuronal cell bodies of the basal forebrain. Our results demonstrate a prominent ability of NGF to up-regulate its receptors within fibres innervating the reticular thalamic nucleus, and show that this up-regulation of NGF-R is maintained throughout the lifetime. Altogether this indicates that the reticular thalamic nucleus may represent a new, important site of action of endogenous NGF or NGF-like molecules within the brain. In view of the crucial role played by the reticular thalamic nucleus in gating thalamocortical information, the autoregulation of NGF-R in this structure may have important concomitants in both physiological and pathological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Fidia Research Laboratories, Via Ponte della Fabbrica 3/A, 35031 Abano Terme, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: M.
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.forename: M.
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bentivoglio
authors.forename: G.
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vantini
authors.forename: D.
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guidolin
authors.forename: P.
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Polato
authors.forename: A.
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leon