Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons of the monkey and cat spinal central canal.

Neurons immediately adjacent to the central canal were demonstrated in the cat and monkey to be immunoreactive for the peptide vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), by means of the peroxidase antiperoxidase method. Most of the cells were found in the thoracic and sacral segments, although a few were present at each level. The thoracic neurons were multipolar and either ependymal or subependymal; they usually had a large, thick dendrite that was oriented radially toward the center of the central canal; this dendrite penetrated through the ependymal layer and ended as a large, fringed podlike process (4-5-microns diameter) along the canal surface in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). From the basal surface of the thoracic cell arose several small dendrites and a varicose axon. A few of the thoracic VIP neurons also contained two nuclei. In the sacral cord, the VIP neurons that lie along the central canal were of several types. They were round or multipolar and were either subependymal, within the ependyma, or supraependymal. Many had long dendrites and thin varicose axons stretching for long distances parallel to the cord surface. Other VIP neurons were smaller cells with short, highly branched, varicose processes. Most prominent in the sacral cord of the cat was a massive intricate network of intensely labelled processes extending in parallel along the canal surface. This network contained thick dendrites, highly varicose axons, and small neurons. Electron microscopy demonstrated VIP axons and varicosities containing small round clear vesicles and dense core vesicles. These processes were in desmosomal contact with ependymal cells and in direct contact with the CSF space. VIP processes were also found along the pial surface of the spinal cord at each level. In some cases single axons and bundles of axons arising from the area around the central canal could be traced to terminal fields along the ventral median fissure and the ventral and ventral lateral surface. In summary, the cat and monkey spinal canal is richly innervated by VIP neurons with elaborate processes in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid; further, some of these neurons may also extend axons to the ventral surface of the spinal cord. In these aspects, these cells resemble CSF-containing neurons previously described in lower species.