Primary cultures of dispersed hypothalamic cells from fetal rats: morphology, electrical activity, and peptide content.

Cultures prepared from dispersed fetal hypothalamic tissue have cells which can be identified as neurons by their morphology and electrical activity. The elongation of neuritic processes in these cultures is increased by treatment with 1-beta-D arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C). Hypothalamic cultures have measurable quantities of immunoreactive substance P and neurotensin, and the neurons can accumulate (3H)GABA.