Immunohistochemical characterization of somatostatin containing interneurons in the rat basolateral amygdala

Jul 9, 2002Brain research

Identifying and describing somatostatin-producing inhibitory brain cells in the rat emotion center

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Abstract

The majority of somatostatin-positive neurons in the basolateral amygdala are GABAergic, comprising 11-18% of the GABA+ population.

66-82% of somatostatin-positive neurons in the basolateral amygdala showed GABA immunoreactivity.
In the basolateral nucleus, over 90% of somatostatin-positive neurons also exhibited calbindin immunoreactivity.
About two-thirds of somatostatin-positive neurons in the lateral nucleus contained significant levels of calbindin.
Somatostatin and calbindin were extensively colocalized across all nuclei of the basolateral amygdala.
No colocalization was observed between somatostatin and parvalbumin, calretinin, or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide.
There are at least three major subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons in the basolateral amygdala.

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There are discrete subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons in the basolateral amygdala (ABL) that contain particular neuropeptides or calcium-binding proteins (calbindin-D28k, parvalbumin (PV), or calretinin). The present study employed a dual-labeling immunofluorescence technique combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy to investigate the neurochemical characteristics of the interneuronal subpopulation containing somatostatin (SOM). The great majority of SOM+ neurons in the ABL exhibited GABA immunoreactivity (66-82% depending on the nucleus). These SOM+ neurons constituted 11-18% of the GABA+ population. There was also extensive colocalization of SOM with calbindin (CB) in all nuclei of the ABL, but no colocalization of SOM with parvalbumin, calretinin, or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. In the basolateral nucleus more than 90% of SOM+ neurons also exhibited CB immunoreactivity, whereas in the lateral nucleus about two-thirds of SOM+ neurons contained significant levels of CB. These SOM/CB neurons constituted about one quarter of the CB+ population in the basolateral nucleus and about one third of the CB+ population in the lateral nucleus. These results, in conjunction with the findings of previous studies, indicate that there are at least three major subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons in the ABL: (i) SOM+ neurons (most of which also contain CB and/or neuropeptide Y); (ii) PV+ neurons (most of which also contain CB); and (iii) CR+ neurons (most of which also contain vasoactive intestinal polypeptide).

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Immunohistochemical characterization of somatostatin containing interneurons in the rat basolateral amygdala

Abstract

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