Parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in the human anteroventral thalamic nucleus

We immunohistochemically characterised the expression of the calcium-bindin g protein parvalbumin in the normal human anteroventral thalamic nucleus (A VN). Two morphologically distinct neuronal populations were found to be par valbumin-immunoreactive (PV-IR): a large population of lightly staining PV- IR neurons and a smaller population of intensely PV-IR neurons. This second type of neuron, which displayed many characteristics normally associated w ith GABAergic interneurons, has nor previously been described in human thal amus. Thus, presumptive thalamic interneurons in the human brain can be fur ther subtyped on the basis of immunoreactivity to parvalbumin. This may hav e implications for the understanding of thalamocortical function in the nor mal state and in dysfunctional conditions such as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndro me and schizophrenia. NeuroReport 11:97-101 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.