[A double-labeling study of serotonin neurons that project to the visual cortex of developing rat brain]

Immunohistochemical studies of developing rat brains revealed aggregation of serotonin terminal fibers in the visual cortex at from 7 to 14 postnatal days. This aggregation is transient, disappearing 2 weeks after birth. The cells of origin of these serotonin terminals were investigated using double-labeling with retrogradely transported WGA-apoHRP-Au and serotonin immunohistochemistry. WGA-apoHRP-Au was injected into the rat visual cortex on the 9th day after birth. The rats were allowed to survive for 2 days and sacrificed with perfusion. Cryostat sections of the brain were processed with silver-enhancement to develop the retrogradely transported WGA-apoHRP-Au, and then serotonin immunohistochemistry was performed. Double-labeled cells that were labeled with WGA-apoHRP-Au and serotonin-immunoreactive were found mostly in the raphe medianus and raphe dorsalis in rostral and caudal sections of the mesencephalon, respectively.