Studies of suspected neurotransmitters in the vestibuloocular pathways.

Isolated fresh cat trochlear and oculomotor nuclei, which contain the axon terminals of inhibitory neurons whose cell bodies are in the superior vestibular nucleus (SVN), actively synthesize and store [3H]GABA, [14C]acetylcholine, [3H]dopamine and [3H]tyramine from labeled precursors of these compounds. Twelve to 14 days following lesions of the ipsilateral superior vestibular nucleus or its efferent pathway to the oculomotor and trochlear nuclei, at a time when there is extensive degeneration of superior vestibular nucleus axon terminals in these nuclei, the synthesis and storage of GABA in the ipsilateral trochlear nucleus is markedly reduced compared to that in the contralateral trochlear nucleus; the synthesis of acetylcholine, dopamine and tyramine is not measurably affected. The oculomotor nuclei, which unlike the trochlear nuclei receive a heavy bilateral projection from the SVN, show no asymmetric decrease after SVN lesions in their ability to synthesize any of the compounds tested. The data support the identity of GABA as an inhibitory transmitter in the superior vestibular nucleus-trochlear nucleus pathway.