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 i mmunoperoxidase technique. The thalamus showed a higher density of imm unoreactive cell bodies than the hypothalamus. A high or moderate dens ity of perikarya and a high density of fibers containing parvalbumin w as observed in the nuclei lateralis posterior, lateralis dorsalis, pul vinar, corpus geniculatum laterale, reticularis, medialis dorsalis, ce ntrum medianum, subparafascicularis, ventralis postero-medialis, ventr alis postero-lateralis, habenularis medialis, parafascicularis, corpus geniculatum mediale, centralis lateralis, rhomboidens, reuniens, cent ralis medialis, ventralis medialis, ventralis lateralis, parataenialis , anterior ventralis, anterior medialis, ventralis anterior, hypothala mus posterior, corpus mamillare, area hypothalamica dorsalis, and in t he 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, ant erior dorsalis, habenularis lateralis, corpus geniculatum laterale (pa rs ventralis), periventricularis hypothalami, hypothalamus lateralis, hypothalamus anterior, and in the hypothalamus dorsomedialis.