Tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactive synaptic boutons in the inferior colliculus of the cat.

The data on the distribution of catecholaminergic cells and fibers in such a significant subcortical relay auditory center as the inferior colliculus (IC) are both few and controversial, and ultrastructural data are lacking. Young adult mongrel cats of both sexes were used. Following routine preparation procedures, the ultrathin sections were prepared for the ultrastructural examination of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-like immunoreactivity. TH-positive neuronal perikarya were not detected in the IC. On the other hand, an appreciable number of TH-immunoreactive unmyelinated axons and synaptic boutons were found in all subdivisions of the IC, most often in the nucleus externus, followed by the nucleus pericentralis, and a few were seen in the dorsomedial part of the central nucleus. The boutons measured 0.5-1.8 microns, contained pleomorphic synaptic vesicles, and established symmetrical synaptic contacts almost exclusively with dendrites of small caliber.