Distribution of serotonin-immunoreactivity in the brain of the pigeon (Columba livia)

The distribution of serotonin (5-HT)-containing perikarya, fibers and terminals in the brain of the pigeon (Columba livia) was investigated, using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence methods combined with retrograde axonal transport. Twenty-one different groups of 5-HT immunoreactive (IR) cells were identified, 2 of which were localized at the hypothalamic level (periventricular organ, infundibular recess) and 19 at the tegmental-mesencephalic and rhombencephalic levels. Ten of the cell groups were situated within the region of the midline from the isthmic to the posterior rhombencephalic level and constituted the raphe system (nucleus annularis, decussatio brachium conjunctivum, area ventralis, external border of the nucleus interpeduncularis, zona peri-nervus oculomotorius, zona perifasciculus longitudinalis medialis, zona inter-flm, nucleus linearis caudalis, nucleus raphe superior pars ventralis, nucleus raphe inferior). The 9 other cell populations belonged to the lateral group and extended from the posterior mesencephalic tegmentum to the caudal rhombencephalon formatio reticularis mesencephali, nucleus ventrolateralis tegmenti, ectopic area (Ec) of the nucleus isthmo-opticus (NIO), nucleus subceruleus, nucleus ceruleus, nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis, nucleus vestibularis medialis, nucleus reticularis parvocellularis and nucleus reticularis magnocellularis]. Combining the retrograde axonal transport of rhodamine -isothiocyanate (RITC) after intraocular injection and immunohistofluorescence (fluoresceine isothiocyanate: FITC/5-HT) showed the centrifugal neurons (NIO, ec) to be immunonegative. Serotonin-IR fibers and terminals were found to be very broadly distributed within the brain and were particularly prominent in several structures of the telencephalon (archistriatum pars dorsalis, nucleus taeniae, area parahippocampalis, septum), diencephalon (nuclei preopticus medianus, magnocellularis, nucleus geniculatus lateralis pars ventralis, nucleus triangularis, nucleus pretectalis), mesencephalon-rhombencephalon (superficial layers of the optic tectum, nucleus ectomamillaris, nucleus isthmo-opticus and in most of the cranial nerve nuclei). Comparing the present results with those of previous studies in birds suggests some major serotonin containing pathways in the avian brain and clarifies the possible origin of the serotonin innervation of some parts of the brain. Moreover, comparing our results in birds with those obtained in other vertebrate species shows that the organization of the serotoninergic system in many regions of the avian brain is much like that found in reptiles and mammals.Abbreviations Ad Archistriatum pars dorsalis - alp area interpeduncularis - al ansa lenticularis - Ann nucleus annularis - APH area parahippocampalis - Av archistriatum pars ventralis - AVT area ventralis (Tsai) - bcd brachium conjunctivum descendens - BO bulbus olfactorius - ca commisssura anterior - CDL area corticoidea dorsolateralis - Cer cerebellum - cf fiber layer of the olfactory bulb - cg granular cell layer of the olfactory bulb - co chiasma opticum - ct commissura tectalis - dbc decussatio brachiorum conjunctivorum - DL nucleus dorsolateralis anterior thalami - DLP nucleus dorsolateralis posterior thalami - DM nucleus dorsomedialis thalami - dnt decussatio nervi trochlearis - E ectostriatum - Ec ectopic area of the nucleus isthmo-opticus - EM nucleus ectomamillaris - flm fasciculus longitudinalis medialis - fpl fasciculus prosencephali lateralis - FRL formatio reticularis lateralis mesencephali - FRM formatio reticularis medialis mesencephali - fu fasciculus uncinatus - GCt substantia grisea centralis - GLv nucleus geniculatus lateralis pars ventralis - gr granular cell layer of the cerebellum - HA hyperstriatum accessorium - HD hyperstriatum dorsale - HIS hyperstriatum intercalatus superior - HL nucleus habenularis lateralis - HM nucleus habenularis medialis - Hp hippocampus - HV hyperstriatum ventrale - ICo nucleus intercollicularis - i-flm inter fasciculus longitudinalis medialis - Imc nucleus ishmi pars magnocellularis - Ip nucleus interpeduncularis - Ipc nucleus isthmi pars parvocellularis - LA nucleus lateralis anterior thalami - La nucleus laminaris - LC nucleus linearis caudalis - LHy nucleus lateralis hypothalami - lm lemniscus medialis - LoC locus coeruleus - LPO lobus paraolfactorius - ls lemniscus spinalis - MLd nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis - mo molecular layer of the cerebellum - MoV nucleus motorius nervi trigemini - Mp magnocellularis preopticus - N neostriatum - NIII nucleus nervi oculomotorii - nIII nervus oculomotorius - NIV nucleus nervi trochlearis - NV nucleus nervi trigemini nV nervus trigeminus - NVII nucleus nervifacialis - nVIII nervus octavus - NIO nucleus isthmo-opticus - om tractus occipitomesencephalicus - OPH hypothalamic periventricular organ - Os nucleus olivaris superior - Ov nucleus ovoidalis - PA paleostriatum augmentatum - Po nucleus pontis - POM nucleus preoticus medialis - PP paleostriatum primitivum - PrV nucleus sensorius principalis nervi trigemini - PT nucleus pretectalis - pu Purkinje cell layer - qf tractus quintofrontalis - Rai nucleus raphe inferior - RasV nucleus raphe superior pars ventralis - ReI recessus infundibularis - Rm nucleus reticularis magnocellularis - Rp nucleus reticularis parvocellularis - RPc nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis - RPO nucleus reticularis pontis oralis - Rt nucleus rotundus - Ru nucleus ruber - S septum - Sac stratum album centrale - SCH stratum cellulare hypothalami - Sgc stratum griseum centrale - Sgf stratum griseum et fibrosum superficiale - Sgfp stratum griseum et fibrosum periventriculare - Sop stratum opticum - SP nucleus subpretectalis - SPC nucleus superficialis parvocellularis - Spl nucleus spiriformis lateralis - Spm nucleus spiriformis medialis - SRt nucleus subrotundus - SuC nucleus subcoeruleus - to tractus opticus - Tn nucleus taeniae - TPc nucleus tegmenti pedunculo-pontinus pars compacta - Tr nucleus triangularis - tsm tractus septomesencephalicus - ttd nucleus et tractus descendens nervi trigemini - Tu nucleus tuberis - Vel nucleus vestibularis lateralis - Vem nucleus vestibularis medialis - Vlt nucleus ventrolateralis thalami - VT nucleus ventrolateralis tegmenti - Zp-flm zona perifasciculus longitudinalis medialis - Zp-NIII zona perinervus oculomotorius