Topography of neurophysin-immunoreactive neurons projecting to the neurohypophysis: direct evidence as revealed by a double staining method.

The topographic distribution of neurophysin-immunoreactive (NP-IR) cells projecting to the posterior pituitary gland has been studied in the cat using a double staining method: immunohistochemistry of neurophysin in conjunction with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) retrograde tracer technique. We found that almost all the hypothalamic NP-IR cells project directly to the neurohypophysis except those localized in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and in the caudal part of the paraventricular nucleus.