Ultrastructure of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of normal, dehydrated and rehydrated rats.

Previous reports have shown that the percentage of neuronal somatic membrane in soma-somatic apposition (without intervening glia) increased with brief periods of dehydration (4--24 hr) and decreased with rehydration in the rat supraoptic and circularis nuclei. In the present study, the percentage of somal membrane in soma-somatic appositions was found to increase in the primarily vasopressin-containing lateral portion of the rat paraventricular nucleus with twelve hours of dehydration. Further evidence for altered cellular function in this nucleus was a decrease in the number of smaller dense core vesicles (< 2600A) per unit cytoplasmic area during initial dehydration (4--12 hr). No changes were detected, however, in the number of larger dense core vesicles (> 4000 A) or lysosomes (> 4000 A) per unit cytoplasm. Intranuclear membrane-bound vacuoles were found primarily in hydrated and rehydrated animals. No reliable changes were seen in the dilation of granular endoplasmic reticulum. Cilia were found in the neuropil and were occasionally traced to magnocellular somata. Differences in the patterns of morphological responses among the magnocellular hypothalamic nuclei suggest specializations in their roles, and further support a functional significance of neuronal membrane appositions.