Spatial-temporal appearance of developing immunoreactive TRH neurons in the neuroepithelial wall of the diencephalon

Using an anti-pro-thyrotrophic hormone-releasing hormone (TRH) serum for immunohistochemical analysis, we examined the ontogenesis of TRH-producing neurons in the rat diencephalon, and distinguished three waves in the neurogenesis corresponding to the time and place of their origin. The first wave started on day 12.5 of embryonic age (E12.5); the neurons appeared within the neuroepithelium in both the anterior and posterior walls of the optic recess. These cells then migrated anteriorly into the marginal layer of the developing preoptic area (group 1 cells) and posteriorly into the hypothalamus (group 2 cells). The second and third waves occurred on E13.5-14.5 and E16.5-17.5, respectively. We named the cells that appeared in the neuroepithelium of the anterior portion of the hypothalamus as group 3 and 5 cells, and those in the posterior portion as group 4 and 6 cells. Group 1 and 3 cells generated the lateral and medial preoptic TRH neurons, and group 2 and 4 cells generated the cells in the lateral hypothalamic nucleus. Group 6 cells were involved in the development of the dorso-medial hypothalamic nucleus. Group 5 cells gave rise to the hypophysiotrophic secretory neurons in the parvocellular paraventricular nucleus. The cells derived from each cell group showed distinct morphological characteristics. These findings suggest that the ventricular wall of the hypothalamus is protomapped in a spatial-temporal manner to generate TRH neurons with distinct functional properties.