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Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) containing cells in the developing rat occipital hemisphere
1Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Veterinary Science, Budapest.
Anatomy and Embryology
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) cells transiently populate the rat subventricular zone early in development. These VIP cells migrate to the cortex, becoming mature neurons, with some persisting into adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is a peptide neurotransmitter with diverse functions.
- The developmental origins and migration patterns of VIP-expressing neurons are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental expression and localization of VIP-immunoreactive cells in the early postnatal rat brain.
- To explore the potential migration and differentiation of VIP-expressing cells from the subventricular zone to the cortex.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was used to detect VIP immunoreactivity in rat brain sections.
- Observations were made from birth to adulthood, focusing on postnatal days 0-16.
Main Results:
- Intense VIP immunoreactivity was observed in the subventricular zone from birth to postnatal day 8.
- This subventricular VIP cell population decreased significantly by postnatal day 8, with some cells persisting into adulthood.
- VIP-expressing cells appeared in the neo- and allocortex, developing mature neuronal features by postnatal day 12.
Conclusions:
- The subventricular zone harbors a transient population of VIP-expressing cells during early postnatal development.
- These cells likely migrate to the cortex and differentiate into mature bipolar fusiform neurons.
- Alternative developmental pathways, such as radial glia expression of VIP, are considered.