Nucleus praeopticus and nucleus lateralis tuberis of Salmo salar and Salmo gairdneri: Structure and relationship to the hypophysis

Abstract

The nucleus praeopticus (NPO) is located on both sides of the preoptic recess and is composed of a pars parvocellularis and a pars magnocellularis. Only in the rainbow trout does the pars magnocellularis consist of separately located medium-sized cells and very large cells. Cytologically, three cell types can be distinguished: 1) unipolar cells ending in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), 2) bipolar cells also ending in the CSF and forming an axon, and 3) multipolar cells which generally do not have a direct connection with the ventricle. Axons originate from the cell bodies forming the paired preopticohypophysial tract that runs along the border of the diencephalon and the optic tract. A considerable number of NPO fibers leading to the hypophysis makes close contact with the cell bodies of the pars lateralis of the nucleus lateralis tuberis, indicating a functional relationship. Most NPO fibers terminate in the caudal part of the neurohypophysis, around blood capillaries and at the basal lamina of the pars intermedia. Far fewer fibers appear to terminate near the boundary of the neurohypophysis and the rostral and proximal pars distalis. The nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT) is located in the caudal hypothalamus, beginning at the rostral end of the horizontal commissure and extending caudally beyond the hypophysial stalk. It consists of the partes rostralis, medialis, lateralis and ventrolateralis. In both species the p. rostralis contains small subependymal neurons and some larger ones. Only in the p. medialis of the Atlantic salmon are large cells present. In both species the most prominent part is the p. lateralis, which consists solely of large cells. Cells situated between the p. medialis and the p. lateralis are grouped in the p. ventrolateralis. It was impossible to trace the axons originating in the NLT, since the cyto- and axoplasm could not be stained specifically. The structure of the NPO and NLT in the two salmonid species is compared with that of other teleosts.