Cholecystokinin distribution in the human striatum and related subcortical structures

The distribution of cholecystokinin immunoreactive nerve cell bodies and processes is reported in the human striatum and adjacent structures such as the claustrum, the pallidum, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the substantia innominata. Cholecystokinin-positive terminals are present in the striatum where they are arranged in a patchy pattern. Cholecystokinin-positive somata are observed in the claustrum and in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis but not in the striatum, the pallidum or the substantia innominata. Dense networks of cholecystokinin-positive woolly fibres are present in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the substantia innominata. These results suggested that cholecystokinin is involved in the compartmental organization of the human striatum. This compartmentalization has functional and pathological implications. Involvement of the cholecystokinin system in some basal ganglia diseases is therefore expected. Presence of neuronal cholecystokinin in the accumbens nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and substantia innominata also suggests that this peptide may interact at different levels in the human limbic system.