Vasopressin-deficient paraventricular magnocellular neurons of homozygous Brattleboro rats synthesize neuropeptide Y.

Immunohistochemical study was carried out to determine whether neuropeptide Y (NPY), which was only found in certain experimental procedures in arginine vasopressin (AVP)-containing neurons of the magnocellular paraventricular nucleus, might also be synthesized in AVP-deficient homozygous Brattleboro (BB) rats. After an intraventricular colchicine administration, NPY was found in many AVP-deficient non-oxytocinergic magnocellular neurons of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei in BB rats, but not in suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons. The results suggest that the NPY synthesis is a phenotype of magnocellular non-oxytocinergic neurosecretory neurons and occurs independently from the synthesis of AVP.