GABA-ergic innervation of thyrotropin-releasing hormone-synthesizing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of the rat

To determine whether GABA-ergic axons are anatomically situated to directly influence TRH neurons in the PVN, double-labeling light- and electronmicroscopic immunocytochemistry was performed using antisera against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and prothyrotropin-releasing hormone (proTRH). In the anterior, periventricular and medial parvocellular subdivisions of the PVN, GAD-immunoreactive (IR) axon varicosities were closely apposed to all proTRH containing cell bodies and proximal dendrites. Ultrastucturally, GAD-IR nerve terminals established symmetric type synapses with both perikarya and dendrites of proTRH-IR neurons, indicating the inhibitory nature of the contacts. Since a subpopulation of neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus co-synthesize GABA, and NPY-containing neurons of arcuate nucleus origin densely innervate TRH neurons in the PVN, we performed triple labeling immunocytochemistry to elucidate the origin of the GAD-IR innervation of hypophysiotropic TRH neurons. While axons co-containing GAD and NPY were observed throughout the PVN, only approximately 10% of GAD-IR terminals in contact with TRH neurons were found to contain NPY-immunoreactivity. We conclude that GABA-ergic neurons are in position to act directly on hypophysiotropic TRH neurons and while this innervation arises partly from neurons in the arcuate nucleus that co-synthesize NPY, the majority of the GABA-ergic input arises from other neuronal groups.