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Electron-microscopic study of MAOB-containing structures in the nucleus accumbens shell: using MAOA-deficient
K Ikemoto1, K Kitahama, T Maeda
1Département de Médecine Expérimentale, INSERM U52, CNRS ERS 5645, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France. kikemoto@fujita-hu.ac.jp
Abstract:
MAOB-containing structures in the nucleus accumbens were ultrastructurally studied for the first time, using MAOA-deficient transgenic mice and MAO enzyme histochemistry. Among the striatal structures, the nucleus accumbens, and in particular its dorsal shell, showed the strongest MAOB activity. MAOB-active cell bodies were embedded in a dense MAOB-active fiber plexus. MAOB-positive terminals formed axo-dendritic synapses which were exclusively of the asymmetric type. It is suggested that dopamine in the nucleus accumbens shell is transported into MAOB-positive fibers where it is degraded by MAOB.