Effects of neonatal adrenalectomy on 5-HT and TRH-like immunoreactivity in the rat spinal cord

This study investigated the effects of neonatal unilateral adrenalectomy on the serotonin- (5-HT) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone-like immunoreactivities (TRH-LI) in the intermediolateral cell column (IML) of the rat spinal cord where the sympathetic preganglionic neurons innervating the adrenal medulla are located. The density of the innervation was measured by a computer-assisted image analysis. Two weeks after the lesion, only one rat (1/3) showed a 30% decrease of 5-HT-LI in the ipsilateral IML, although no modifications were observed for TRH-LI. At 1 month, we observed a variable decrease of 19% to 30% for either 5-HT- or TRH-LI in the ipsilateral IML. However, one animal (1/3) showed nonsignificant modifications. At 3 months, we showed a 17% mean loss of 5-HT-LI and TRH-LI in the ipsilateral IML. However, the decreases of 5-HT-LI and TRH-LI did not always appear similar. These results appear different from those obtained after neonatal removal of the superior cervical ganglion.