Ultrastructural relationships between terminals immunoreactive for enkephalin, GABA, or both transmitters in the rat ventral tegmental area

Brain Research
Susan R Sesack, Virginia M Pickel

Abstract

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) receives extensive afferent input from neurons containing the opioid peptide enkephalin (Enk) and/or GABA. We examined the ultrastructural basis for known functional interactions between these inhibitory neuromodulators using a combined immunoperoxidase and immunogold-silver technique. As visualized with either marker in single sections, Enk-immunolabeled terminals contained numerous small clear vesicles and one or more intensely immunoreactive dense-cored vesicles. Enk-labeled terminals formed either symmetric or asymmetric synapses on small or large unlabeled dendrites. The immunoreactive dense-cored vesicles were usually detected away from these sites of synaptic contact. Terminals singly immunoreactive for GABA, or dually labeled for Enk and GABA, showed similar morphological features but formed primarily symmetric axo-dendritic synapses. In many instances, GABA- and/or Enk-immunolabeled terminals were in direct apposition to each other and formed synapses on immediately adjacent parts of a common dendrite. Close appositions were also noted between GABA- and Enk-immunoreactive axons and varicosities that did not form synapses with either common or divergent dendrites in single sections. Immu...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 4, 1997·European Journal of Pharmacology·C Belzung, A Agmo
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Nov 5, 2019·The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology : Official Journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology·Jong Yung ParkKyung Ho Shin

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