Immunohistochemical demonstration of catecholaminergic cell bodies in the spinal cord of the rat. Preliminary note.

In order to elucidate the anatomy of the spinal dopaminergic system, an immunohistochemical study using a tyrosine-hydroxylase (TH) antibody was undertaken in the rat. Intracisternal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injections were administered to destroy most of the noradrenergic fibres that descend to the spinal cord while preserving the dopaminergic fibres. The density of the remaining TH-like immunoreactive fibres was relatively low at all levels of the spinal cord; the highest density was observed in layers III, IV and X. In addition, we report the first evidence for the existence of TH-like immunoreactive cell bodies at definite levels (especially sacral) of the spinal cord.