Volume 270, Number 3, 443-449, DOI: 10.1007/BF00645045

FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity in the brain of the Pacific hagfish,Eptatretus stouti (Myxinoidea)

Helmut Wicht and R. Glenn Northcutt

View Related Documents

Abstract

The distribution of FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity was investigated in the brain of a myxinoid, the Pacific hagfish,Eptatretus stouti, by means of immunocytochemistry. In the forebrain, labelled cell bodies occurred in the infundibular nucleus of the hypothalamus and some closely adjacent nuclei. Labelled fibers formed a diffuse network in the forebrain, but there was no evidence for the presence of intracerebral ganglionic cells of the terminal nerve or a central projection of the terminal nerve. In the hindbrain, a group of labelled cells was found in the trigeminal sensory nucleus. A distinet terminal arborization occurred in the ventrally adjacent nucleus A of Kusunoki and around the nuclei of the branchial motor column. These findings suggest that FMRFamide may play a role in the central control of branchiomotor activity.

Key words  FMRFamide - Hypothalamus - Brain stem - Sensomotor system -  Eptatretus stouti (Agnatha, Cyclostomata, Myxinoidea)

Fulltext Preview

Image of the first page of the fulltext document