Morphometrical analysis of the distribution of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive nerve terminals within the lateral palisade zone of the median eminence of the male rat.

By means of a semiautomatic image analyzer coupled to an Apple II computer with suitable computer programs it has been possible to demonstrate in a quantitative way the morphological interaction between luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive nerve terminals in the lateral palisade zone (LPZ) at various rostrocaudal levels of the median eminence. The overlap area represented about 50% of the TH- or the LH-RH-immunoreactive area. The dopamine nerve terminals showed a more medial and ventral position than the LH-RH-immunoreactive nerve terminals. The transmitter-identified nerve terminals in the LPZ may be organized in strips extending in the rostrocaudal direction and may have a differential regulation.