Activation of median raphe serotonergic neurons results in the desynchronization of hippocampal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. This could be a direct effect, because serotonin (5-HT) fibers terminate on a specific population of hippocampal interneurons. On the other hand, it could be an indirect action through the medial septum/diagonal band of Broca (MSDB) pacemaker cells, because, in...

Evidence for the existence of different populations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic neurons in the substantia nigra comes partially from anatomical studies, which have shown there to be little if any overlap between the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin and calretinin in individual neurons, suggesting that these may represent neuronal subtypes with distinct electrophysiological and/o...

Immunohistochemistry for parvalbumin, calbindin D-28k, calretinin and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was performed on the trigeminal ganglion and oro-facial tissues in Brn-3a wildtype and knockout mice at embryonic day 18.5 and postnatal day 0. In wildtype mice, the trigeminal ganglion contained abundant parvalbumin-, calbindin D-28k- and CGRP-immunoreactive neurons while the ganglion w...

The precise connectivity of somatostatin and parvalbumin cortical interneurons is generated during development. An understanding of how these interneuron classes incorporate into cortical circuitry is incomplete but essential to elucidate the roles they play during maturation. Here, we report that somatostatin interneurons in infragranular layers receive dense but transient innervation from tha...

Background N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, like ketamine, produce a rapid-acting and long-lasting antidepressant effect. Although the mechanism is not completely understood, ketamine is thought to preferentially target N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors on fast-spiking parvalbumin-containing interneurons. The function of parvalbumin-containing interneurons is dependent on perineuronal ne...

The distribution of calbindin, calretinin and parvalbumin during the development of the mouse main olfactory bulb (MOB) was studied using immunohistochemistry techniques. The results are as follows: (1) calbindin-immunoreactive profiles were mainly located in the glomerular layer, and few large calbindin-immunoreactive cells were found in the subependymal layer of postnatal day 10 (P10) to post...

The three-dimensional structure of parvalbumin from leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) with 109 amino acid residues (alpha-series) is described at 1.54 A resolution. Crystals were grown at 20 degrees C from 2.9 M-potassium/sodium phosphate solutions at pH 5.6. The space group is P3(1)21 and unit cell dimensions are a = b = 32.12 A and c = 149.0 A. The structure has been solved by the molecula...

This study was designed to examine possible anatomical changes of thalamocortical circuits in schizophrenics. Previous immunocytochemical studies have shown that parvalbumin, a calcium-binding protein, occurs in thalamocortical projection neurons, but not in GABAergic interneurons in the anteroventral thalamic nucleus (AN). Using parvalbumin-immunocytochemistry we investigated the densities of ...

A cDNA segment encoding the Ca2+-binding protein, parvalbumin, was isolated with the use of antibodies, from a lambda gtll expression library of Xenopus laevis tadpole poly(A)+ RNAs. The bacterially expressed beta-galactosidase-parvalbumin fusion protein of one lambda recombinant shows high affinity 45Ca2+ binding. The sequence of the tadpole parvalbumin is highly similar to previously characte...

In the ventrolateral hypothalamus, the PV1-nucleus is defined by its population of parvalbumin-expressing neurons. During embryogenesis, the ventrolateral hypothalamus is colonized also by Foxb1-expressing neurons. In adult Foxb1-EGFP mice, many immunofluorescent neurons were found within the region that is occupied by the PV1-nucleus. They formed a cloud around the axial cord of the parvalbumi...