NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHASE CONTAINING NEURONS IN THE VENTRAL LATERAL GENICULATE OF THE RAT PROJECT TO THE OPTIC PRETECTAL NUCLEI

We combined fluorescent tracing with immunohistochemistry to examine n itric oxide synthase (NOS) containing neurons in the rat ventral later al geniculate nucleus (vLGN). NOS immunopositive neurons in vLGN had a similar appearance to previously described NADPH-d positive neurons. The majority (96%) of the NOS immunopositive neurons in vLGN projected to the pretectal nuclei and these represented 16% of all the vLGN neu rons that project to the pretectal nuclei. No NOS immunopositive neuro ns projected to the superior colliculus. Go-localization of NADPH-d an d gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been reported in vLGN neurons but we found few cells containing both NOS and GABA. (C) 1998 Published b y Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.