Distribution of parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the cat diencephalon.

The distribution of parvalbumin-immunoreactive cell bodies and fibers in the cat diencephalon has been analyzed by using the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique. The thalamus showed a higher density of immunoreactive cell bodies than the hypothalamus. A high or moderate density of perikarya and a high density of fibers containing parvalbumin was observed in the nuclei lateralis posterior, lateralis dorsalis, pulvinar, corpus geniculatum laterale, reticularis, medialis dorsalis, centrum medianum, subparafascicularis, ventralis postero-medialis, ventralis postero-lateralis, habenularis medialis, parafascicularis, corpus geniculatum mediale, centralis lateralis, rhomboidens, reuniens, centralis medialis, ventralis medialis, ventralis lateralis, parataenialis, anterior ventralis, anterior medialis, ventralis anterior, hypothalamus posterior, corpus mamillare, area hypothalamica dorsalis, and in the nucleus suprachiasmaticus. Moreover, a high or moderate density of immunoreactive fibers and a low density of parvalbumin-immunoreactive cell bodies was observed in the nuclei periventricularis anterior, anterior dorsalis, habenularis lateralis, corpus geniculatum laterale (pars ventralis), periventricularis hypothalami, hypothalamus lateralis, hypothalamus anterior, and in the hypothalamus dorsomedialis.