Changes in magnocellular-neurohypophyseal vasopressin following anteroventral third-ventricle (AV3V) lesions

Lesions of the brain region surrounding the anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V) have been shown to result in adipsia without a corresponding antidiuretic response or rise in plasma vasopressin levels. Electron microscopic examination of the supraoptic nucleus and neural lobe of the pituitary has shown that large stores of neurosecretory material build up in the neurohypophysis. In the present study, the increased neurosecretory material was characterized by immunocytochemistry. Vasopressin immunoreactivity was examined and compared between adipsic rats with AV3V lesions, water-deprived rats, and normal rats. Two days after surgery, sham-lesioned, water-deprived rats displayed decreased vasopressin immunostaining density compared to normal controls, and adipsic AV3V-lesioned rats displayed increased vasopressin immunoreactivity throughout the magnocellular-hypophyseal system. These results indicate that AV3V lesions interrupt neural inputs that stimulate the magnocellular system to release vasopressin in response to normal humoral stimuli.