Extent of colocalization of serotonin and GABA in neurons of the ventral medulla oblongata in rat

The colocalization of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the ventral aspect of the rat medulla oblongata was studied using antibodies directed against 5-HT and GABA. Although 5-HT- and GABA-immunoreactive cell bodies were observed over the entire rostral-caudal extent of the ventral medulla, the colocalization of these two classical neurotransmitters in single cells was, for the most part, limited to a region that corresponds anatomically to nucleus raphe magnus/nucleus paragigantocellularis. Schematic drawings showing the distribution of 5-HT/GABA cell bodies in the ventral medulla are provided.