Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Identification of Orexin and Endocannabinoid Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Using Immunoperoxidase and Immunofluorescence Methods
Published on: June 25, 2019
Afferent islands are larger than mu-opioid receptor patch in striatum of rat pups
Kouichi C Nakamura1, Fumino Fujiyama, Takahiro Furuta
1Department of Morphological Brain Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. nakamura@mbs.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Dopamine afferent islands were observed in rodent caudate-putamen only during development, whereas patches with intense mu-opioid receptor (MOR) immunoreactivity were seen throughout the life. We performed direct comparison between MOR patches and dopamine islands in the caudate-putamen of rat pups, by double immunofluorescence labeling for MOR and tyrosine hydroxylase. MOR patches were included in dopamine islands at postnatal day (P) 0 to P8, although the patches occupied the same region as the islands at P12-16. Furthermore, the regions of glutamatergic afferents with intense vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 immunoreactivities well corresponded to those of dopamine islands at P4. These results suggest that the striatal 'afferent islands' are larger than MOR patches in the early postnatal life.
Related Concept Videos
Opioid Receptors: Overview
Analgesia and Pain Management

