Single neostriatal efferent axons in the globus pallidus: a light and electron microscopic study.

Intracellularly labeled rat neostriatal projection neurons were analyzed with both light and electron microscopy. The axons of medium spiny neurons were traced into the globus pallidus and were found to make synaptic contacts with pallidal dendrites. Despite the common somato-dendritic morphology of the neostriatal projection neurons, two different distribution patterns of efferent axons were observed, indicating the presence of functionally different medium spiny neurons in the neostriatum.