Septal afferents to the area dentata terminate on vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-like immunoreactive, non-pyramidal neurons. An electron-microscopic immunocytochemical degeneration study in the rat.

Thermic lesions in the medial septum of adult rats result in dark degeneration of terminal boutons in the stratum moleculare and hilus of the area dentata. While most of the degenerating terminals are in synaptic contact with non-reactive cells, part of them end on dendrites of VIP-like immunoreactive neurons.