| Popis: |
The goal of this study was to identify neurotransmitters in endings (p-endings) presynaptic to low-threshold mechanoreceptive vibrissa afferents in the laminae III/IV of cat trigeminal caudal nucleus (Vc). Rapidly-adapting vibrissa afferents were intra-axonally labeled after electrophysiological identification, and postembedding immunogold staining with antisera against -aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine was performed, followed by quantitative ultrastructural analysis of p-endings presynaptic to the labeled vibrissa afferent terminals. Sixteen p-endings, which are presynaptic to the HRP-labeled vibrissa afferent terminals, were analyzed in this study: Eight p-endings (50%, 8/16) were immunopositive to GABA but immunonegative to glycine (GABA+ p-ending), and remaining 8 p-endings (50%, 8/16) exhibited immunoreactivity to both GABA and glycine. Bouton volume of the p-endings was not significantly different between the two groups. However, the p-endings differed from each other in relative content of GABA and glycine. These findings suggest that low-threshold mechanoreceptive information conveyed through vibrissa afferent at Vc is presynaptically modulated by GABA and/or glycine, and that degree of presynaptic modulation may differ among each vibrissa afferent terminal. |
