[GABA-, serotonin-immunoreactive structures and Ca2+-binding protein in the neocortex of reeler mutant mice]

To investigate the neurotransmitter organization of abnormally formed neocortex in the reeler mutant mice, an immunohistochemical study of GABA-, serotoninergic structures and Ca2+-binding protein was performed. GABA-ergic structures were identified according to the localization of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), the key enzyme involved in GABA synthesis. The cells that were morphologically and immunohistochemically identical to Cajal-Retzius neurons, were found to have an unusual localization in the neocortex of reeler mutant mice, i.e. under the layer I, but not in its upper third, as seen in normal cerebral cortex. GAD-immunoreactive label was shown to accumulate in the neuropil of the middle and deep layers, while layer I contained only single granules. In contrast to what was observed in normal mice, serotonin-immunopositive fibers did not form superficial and deep plexuses in the neocortex, however they reached their targets. Thus, in abnormally formed neocortex, lacking the appropriate cytoarchitectonic organization, the structure of both intrinsic and projectional neurotransmitter systems was disturbed.