The distribution of vasotocin and isotocin in the brain of the rainbow trout.

The distribution of vasotocin and isotocin in the brain of the rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri was investigated by the unlabeled antibody enzyme method, by using purified antisera against arginine vasotocin and isotocin. In the preoptic nucleus no clear differences were observed in the distribution of vasotocin- and isotocin-containing cells. Vasotocin and isotocin innervation was found in most brain regions, though in general isotocin fibers were much more abundant. The area dorsalis pars medialis of the telencephalon, the saccus dorsalis, and the basal part of the nucleus recessus posterioris were found to be innervated by vasotocin and scarcely by isotocin fibers. In the nucleus habenularis, the nucleus recessus lobus lateralis, the nucleus preglomerulosus pars medialis, and the tectum mesencephali isotocin fibers prevailed. These findings in the trout brain are compared with the vasopressin and oxytocin innervation of the rat brain.