Morphology of human nucleus accumbens neurons based on the immunohistochemical expression of GAD67

Abstract

© 2016, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. e nucleus accumbens is a part of the ventral striatum along with the caudate nucleus and putamen. e role of the human nucleus accumbens in drug addiction and other psychiatric disorders is of great importance. e aim of this study was to characterize medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens according to the immunohistochemical expression of GAD67. is study was conducted on twenty human brains of both sexes between the ages of 20 and 75. e expression of GAD67was assessed immunohistochemically, and the characterization of the neurons was based on the shape and size of the soma and the number of impregnated primary dendrites.We showed that neurons of the human nucleus accumbens expressed GAD67 in the neuron soma and in the primary dendrites. An analysis of the cell body morphology revealed the following four different types of neurons: fusiform neurons, fusiform neurons with lateral dendrites, pyramidalneurons and multipolar neurons.An immunohistochemical analysis showed a strong GAD67 expression in GABAergic medium spiny neurons, which could be classified into four different types, and these neurons morphologically correlated with those described by the Golgi study.