MORPHOLOGICAL FINDINGS OF AN INTERRELATIONSHIP AMONG THE NEUROSECRETORY AXONS OF THE NEURAL LOBE OF THE HYPOPHYSIS

In order to establish whether osmotic stimuli induce variations in the contact regions among neurosecretory axons of the neural lobe of the hypophysis, adult Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes were treated with furosemide, a diuretic drug. Contacts between adjacent membranes with no condensations of the axolemma but increase in their osmiophilia wer e observed. After treatment with furosemide interaxonal contacts were significantly increased (p < 0.01, in relation to control animals). Ad ditionally, following treatment with furosemide, axo-axonic synapses a mong the axons of the neural lobe were found. These findings suggest t he existence of interactions among activated neurosecretory axons of t he neural lobe of the adult rat.