Ultrastructural characterization of choline acetyltransferase‐containing neurons in the basal forebrain of rat: Evidence for a cholinergic innervation of intracerebral blood vessels

The ultrastructural morphology and vascular associations of cholinergic neurons in the horizontal limb of the nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca (nDBB h1 ) and amygdala of rat were determined by the immunocytochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the acetylcholine biosynthetic enzyme. Within the nDBB h1 peroxidase reaction product was distributed throughout the cytoplasm of selectively labeled neuronal perikarya and dendrites. Labeled perikarya were characterized by an oval cell body (7–10, μm × 17–26 μm in diameter) in which was located a large nucleus and often a prominent nucleolus. Dendrites were by far the most numerous immunolabeled profiles in the nDBB h1 . The labeled dendrites had a cross‐sectional diameter of 0.4–4.6 μm and contained numerous mitochondria and microtubules. Approximately 10% of all immunolabeled dendrites received synaptic contacts from unlabeled presynaptic boutons. In contrast to the relatively large number of ChAT‐labeled dendrites within the nDBB h1 , ChAT‐positive axons were less frequently observed and immunolabeled axon terminals were never detected. The labeled axons had an outside diameter of 0.4–1.4 μm and were myelinated. The absence or relative paucity of immunolabeled terminals in the nDBB h1 indicates that most if not all of the cholinergic perikarya within this nucleus are efferent projection neurons. The nDBB is known to have widespread projections to many areas of the neocortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. In the present study we examined the amygdala and observed many ChAT‐labeled axon boutons. The immunolabeled varicosities contained numerous agranular vesicles and although ChAT‐positive termirs als were in direct contact with unlabeled neuronal elements within the amygdala, few if any synaptic densities were detected in a single plane of section. With respect to the vasculature, immunolabeled perikarya and dendrites within the nDBB h1 and axon terminals in the amygdala were often in direct apposition to blood vessels. In many instances the labeled profile was observed lying directly on the basal lamina of a capillary endothelial cell. In no instance, however, were membrane densities observed. The presence of cholinergic neuronal elements contacting the vessel wall provides morphologic evidence suggesting that the neurogenic control of cerebral vasculature is in part, mediated via a cholinergic mechanism.