[Changes in Golgi rapid impregnation in the caudate-putamen complex of the rat after pharmacologic pretreatment]

The neostriatum of adult rats was investigated by means of the Golgi rapid impregnation procedure following surgical (unilateral stereotaxic MFB lesions or complete deafferentation) and pharmacological (i.p. application of pargyline, amphetamine, reserpine, haloperidol in submaximal doses) pretreatments, respectively. The neurons of this brain area--as a whole, ten types can be differentiated according to morphological criteria--do exhibit a characteristic impregnation behavior being in proportion to the mode of pretreatment in each case. The impregnation behavior of the neurons is postulated to depend on the polarization state of their membranes which may be explained in pharmacological and physiological terms.