Chemical organization of projection neurons in the rat accumbens nucleus and olfactory tubercle

Projection neurons in the ventral striatum, the accumbens nucleus and olfactory tubercle, were examined by combining the retrograde tracing method and immunocytochemistry with antibodies against C-terminals of the preprodynorphin (PPD), preproenkephalin (PPE), preprotachykinin A (PPTA) and preprotachykinin B (PPTB). When the retrograde tracer was injected into the ventral pallidum, about 60% and 40% of retrogradely labeled neurons in the accumbens nucleus were immunoreactive for PPD and PPE, respectively. In contrast, all accumbens nucleus neurons projecting to the ventral mesencephalic regions including the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area were immunopositive for PPD but not for PPE. Although no olfactory tubercle neurons projected fibers to the mesencephalic regions, 60% and 40% of olfactory tubercle neurons projecting to the ventrolateral portion of the ventral pallidum were immunoreactive for PPD and PPE, respectively, as were the accumbens nucleus neurons. About 70% of accumbens nucleus and olfactory tubercle neurons projecting to the ventral pallidum and all accumbens nucleus neurons projecting to the ventral mesencephalic regions showed PPTA immunoreactivity. A small population (2-12%) of accumbens neurons projecting to the ventral pallidum and mesencephalic regions displayed immunoreactivity for PPTB. Compared with the dorsal striatopallidal projection neurons that were reported to mostly express PPE, it was characteristic of the ventral striatum that only the smaller population (about 40%) of ventral striatopallidal projection neurons expressed PPE. This suggests that the ventral striatopallidal projection system is less specialized than the dorsal striatopallidal system in terms of peptide production, or that the ventral pallidum should be compared with a combined region of the globus pallidus and entopeduncular nucleus in the dorsal system.