Colocalization pattern of calbindin and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript in the mammillary body–anterior thalamic nuclei axis of the guinea pig

Abstract

The study describes for the first time the colocalization pattern of calbindin (CB) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) in the mammillary body (MB) and anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) – structures connected in a topographically organized manner by the mammillothalamic tract (mtt). Immunohistochemical study was performed on fetal (E40, E50, E60), newborn (P0) and postnatal (P20, P80) brains of the guinea pig, but the coexistence pattern of the substances was invariable throughout the examined developmental stages. CB and CART colocalized in the perikarya of the lateral part of the medial mammillary nucleus (MMl), whereas in its medial part (MMm) only CB was detected. In the mtt, which originates from the MB, both the substances were present and colocalized in single fibers. Next, fibers from the mtt spread toward the ATN in a particular way: fibers containing CB ran to both the anteromedial thalamic nucleus (AM) and anteroventral thalamic nucleus (AV), while fibers containing CART ran mostly to the latter one. In the ventral part of AV, CB and CART colocalized vastly in the neuropil. The lateral mammillary nucleus and anterodorsal thalamic nucleus were virtually devoid of CB- and CART-positive structures. Based on the known connections between the MB and ATN, we conclude that the studied substances may cooperate in the MMl–AV part of the axis and CB plays a significant role in the MMm–AM part.