Selective destruction of mossy fibers and granule cells with preservation of the GABAergic network in the inferior region of the rat hippocampus after colchicine treatment

Lesions induced by colchicine injection into the rat hippocampus were investigated by means of electron microscopy and GABA immunocytochemistry. Granule cells were nearly completely destroyed 3 days after colchicine injection; since the necrosis of their axonal endings was delayed, an anterograde degeneration of the mossy fibers had probably taken place. The selectivity of the lesions was not limited to granule cells, for some pyramidal neurons in CA1 pyramidal layer were damaged. It was, however, striking to observe that throughout the hippocampal structure GABAergic neurons were spared from the effects of colchicine. For instance, GABAergic neurons were found in the vicinity of the completely destroyed granule cell layer. GABAergic neurons and terminals were also present in the CA3 region where the GABA-containing terminals formed a dense network of synapses with somata and dendrites of pyramidal cells. It was interesting to note that, consistent with previous studies, the GABAergic neurons in CA3 are innervated by mossy fibers. We conclude that after colchicine treatment the destruction of the granule cells was not associated with a lesion of the GABAergic network. This selective lesion provides a useful model with which to study the properties of CA3 neurons deprived of their major excitatory input but with an intact inhibitory network.