Organization and synaptic interconnections of GABAergic and cholinergic elements in the rat amygdaloid nuclei: single- and double-immunolabeling studies

The aim of this study was to describe the localization of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons and terminals in the amygdaloid nuclei of the rat. Double immunolabeling was performed to study cholinergic-GABAergic synaptic interconnections. Cholinergic elements were labeled by using a monoclonal antibody to choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme. Antibodies against glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), the GABA- synthesizing enzyme, were employed to identify GABAergic perikarya and terminals. The tissue sites of the antibody bindings were detected by using either Sternberger's peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method or a biotinylated secondary antibody and avidinated ferritin. These two contrasting immunolabels allowed us to study GABAergic-cholinergic interconnections at the electron microscopic level. Our study revealed a characteristic distribution of GABAergic and cholinergic elements in the various amygdaloid nuclei: 1) Large, ChAT-immunopositive cells with heavily labeled dendrites were observed in the anterior amygdaloid area and in the lateral and medial zones of the central nucleus. These cells seem to constitute the intraamygdaloid extension of the magnocellular basal nucleus. Their dendrites invaded other amygdaloid nuclei, in particular the intercalated nuclei, the lateral olfactory tract nucleus, and the central zone of the central nucleus. These ChAT-immunoreactive dendrites formed synaptic contacts with GAD-positive terminals. GABAergic terminals probably thus exert an inhibitory amygdaloid influence onto cholinergic neurons of the magnocellular basal nucleus. 2) Two amygdaloid nuclei-the basal dorsal nucleus and the lateral olfactory tract nucleus-contained a dense network of ChAT-immunoreactive fibers and terminals, but they also contained numerous GAD-positive perikarya. Double-immunolabeling experiments revealed cholinergic terminals forming synaptic contacts on GAD-immunopositive cell bodies, dendritic shafts, and spines. 3) The central and medial nucleus seem to be the main target of GABAergic fibers to the amygdala. Both nuclei contained a dense plexus of GAD-immunoreactive terminals that may arise, at least in part, from the GABAergic neurons in the basal dorsal nucleus. Inhibition of the centromedial "excitatory" region through intraamygdaloid GABAergic connections may reduce excitatory amygdaloid influence onto hypothalamus and brainstem.