Shapes and projections of neurons with immunoreactivity for gamma-aminobutyric acid in the guinea-pig small intestine.

The distribution of nerve cell bodies and fibres with immunoreactivity for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been studied in the guinea-pig small intestine. Cell bodies were common in myenteric ganglia but were extremely rare in the submucosa. Reactive fibres were numerous in the tertiary component of the myenteric plexus and in the circular muscle but they were rare in both myenteric and submucous ganglia. Reactive nerve fibres were absent from the mucosa. This distribution conforms to previous descriptions. Exposure to exogenous GABA, in vitro, was used to supplement endogenous stores of GABA. The morphology of cell bodies was better defined after this treatment. Nearly all cell bodies had type-I morphology, i.e., the cells had numerous short lamellar dendrites and one axon. Most axons ran anally. Some could be traced to the tertiary component of the myenteric plexus, others to the circular muscle. Removal of the myenteric plexus from a short length of intestine caused a loss of nerve fibres from the circular muscle beneath the site of operation and a decrease in fibre density in the circular muscle that extended anally from the lesion for about 1 mm. The nerve lesions caused no significant changes in the tertiary plexus. It is concluded that GABA is contained in motor neurons supplying the longitudinal and circular muscle, and that the neurons supplying the circular muscle may be inhibitory.