Loss of Nerve Cell Bodies in Caudal Locus Coeruleus Following Treatment of Neonates With 6-Hydroxydopa
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-1979
Description
The locus coeruleus is a well defined nucleus in cresylechtviolet preparations and the perikarya are easily distinguished. The coeruleus neurons are thought to be noradrenergic and during development can be selectively affected by the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopa (6-OHDOPA). In 6-month-old rats that were treated on day of birth with 6-OHDOPA (60 mg/kg, i.p.) there was a 32% loss of nerve cell bodies in the locus coeruleus. While it was apparent that loss of cell bodies occurred throughout the entire nucleus, the greatest loss of perikarya was from the caudal extent of the nucleus. It is known that sprouting of noradrenergic terminals occurs in the cerebellum of rats following treatment of newborns with 6-OHDOPA. That there are fewer cell bodies to contribute additional terminals further dramatizes this sprouting phenomenon.
Citation Information
Clark, M. B.; King, Joan C.; and Kostrzewa, Richard M.. 1979. Loss of Nerve Cell Bodies in Caudal Locus Coeruleus Following Treatment of Neonates With 6-Hydroxydopa. Neuroscience Letters. Vol.13(3). 331-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3940(79)91515-5 PMID: 530483 ISSN: 0304-3940