Neurochemical heterogeneity of the thalamic reticular and perireticular nuclei in developing rabbits: patterns of calbindin expression

Abstract

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) forms an essential part of the circuits that link the thalamus to the cortex, whereas the perireticular thalamic nucleus (PRN) consists of scattered neurons that are located in the internal capsule, in close relation to the TRN. A common feature of these nuclei in different species is the immunoreactivity for some calcium binding proteins with a developmental pattern of expression. In the present study, sections from rabbits at different ages were examined to determine the calbindin (CB) expression in the developing TRN and PRN at the first stages of development. These CB-expressing cells constitute an important subpopulation of neurons in the caudal half of the developing TRN. In the adult, there are still positive CB somata in the middle and caudal halves of the nucleus. In the PRN, where the developmental pattern of CB expression has not been described before, the number of CB perireticular cells decreases progressively. Our results, together with previous data in the rabbit suggest the existence of remarkable neurochemical heterogeneity in the TRN and PRN of the rabbit.