Comparative distribution of LH-RH and somatostatin in the supraoptic crest (OVLT) of the rat.

Adjacent serial sections of the organum vasculosum laminal terminalis (OVLT) of the rat were incubated with antisera of luteinizing-hormone--releasing-hormone (LH-RH) and somatostatin and stained by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. The distribution patterns of the two oligopeptides show distinct differences, as already found in the median eminence. A denser, more centrally placed somatostatin deposit is surrounded by a more extensive, looser, more peripheral one of LH0RH. These differences in distribution may reflect an anatomical basis for the differing effects of various manipulations on the OVLT and median eminence stores.