Distribution of thyrotropin-releasing hormone immunoreactivity in the brain of the dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula.

To improve knowledge of the peptidergic systems of elasmobranch brains, the distribution of thyrotropin-releasing hormone-immunoreactive (TRHir) neurons and fibers was studied in the brain of the small-spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula L.). In the olfactory bulbs, small granule neurons richly innervated the olfactory glomeruli. In the telencephalic hemispheres, small TRHir neurons were observed in the superficial dorsal pallium, whereas TRHir fibers were widely distributed in pallial and subpallial regions. In the preoptic region, TRHir neurons formed a caudal ventrolateral group in the preoptic nucleus. In the hypothalamus, the most conspicuous TRHir populations were associated with the lateral hypothalamic recess, but small TRHir populations were found in the posterior tubercle and ventral wall of the posterior recess. The preoptic region and hypothalamus exhibited rich innervation by TRHir fibers. TRHir fibers were observed coursing to the neurohypophysis and the neuroepithelium of the saccus vasculosus, but not to the neurohemal region of the median eminence. Some stellate-like TRHir cells were observed in a few cell cords of the neurointermediate lobe of the hypophysis. The thalamus, pretectum, and midbrain lacked TRHir neurons. Further TRHir neuronal populations were observed in the central gray and superior raphe nucleus of the isthmus, and a few TRHir cells were located in the nucleus of the trigeminal descending tract at the level of the rostral spinal cord. In the brainstem, the central gray, interpeduncular nucleus, secondary visceral region of the isthmus, rhombencephalic raphe, inferior olive, vagal lobe, and Cajal's commissural nucleus were all richly TRHir-innervated. Comparison of the distribution of TRHir neurons observed in the dogfish brain with that observed in teleosts and tetrapods reveals strong resemblance but also interesting differences, indicating the presence of both a conserved basic vertebrate pattern and a number of derived characters.