Morphology of intracellularly labeled interneurons in the dentate gyrus of the immature rat.

Although many aspects of the morphological development of interneurons in the dentate gyrus have been described, the full extent of their dendrites and local axon projections in immature rodents has not been examined. Here intracellular labeling was used to assess the branching patterns of interneurons in the dentate gyrus of rat pups between 7 and 9 days of age. Labeled neurons were located within or just below the granule cell layer, and most were classified as GABAergic basket neurons on the basis of their dendritic morphologies. All labeled interneurons exhibited immature characteristics. Spines were present on cell bodies and dendrites, and growth cones were visible on some dendrites and axons. In spite of these immature features, the dendrites and axon arbors of the labeled neurons were extensive. Many apical dendrites reached the top of the molecular layer, and a number of basal dendrites extended to the CA3 pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampus. Elaborate axon plexuses were present within the dentate gyrus itself, and axon collaterals of several neurons extended beyond the dentate gyrus to branch within regions CA3 and CA1 of the hippocampus. These results indicate that the dendrites and axon collaterals of dentate interneurons are extensive at a time when the principal neurons, the granule cells, are still proliferating. These data are consistent with the idea that GABAergic interneurons may influence granule cell development in the dentate gyrus, as well as pyramidal cell maturation in the hippocampus proper.