Marginal topography of neurons expressing the substance P receptor in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Neurons expressing the substance P (SP) receptor (NK1 receptor) in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus (SCN) have been topographically identified using radioactive in situ hybridization histochemistry. In the anterior hypothalamic area, clustered labeled neurons of small size and exhibiting low levels of gene expression are observed exclusively at the dorsolateral margin of the SCN, straddling cytoarchitectural boundaries of the nucleus. The marginal topography of neurons putative target of a SP-containing retinal input to the ventral SCN indicates that their dendrites bearing the receptor extend towards the retinorecipient part of the nucleus, where they can be modulated by overlapping inputs from the intergeniculate leaflet and the raphé. Eventual interactions between glutamatergic and putative tachykininergic retinal pathways for a coherent photic control of circadian rhythms may therefore occur mainly via intrinsic neuronal connections between their distinct target populations. In addition, since glutamate and SP induce electrophysiological responses in ventrolateral neurons with no interactive effect, neurons integrating both chemical signals, subsequently to their modulation by several influences, may be not located within the ventrolateral SCN. Alternatively but not exclusively, marginal neurons could be a target of SP-containing neurons within the SCN or nearby the nucleus, or from ascending projections from the raphé where serotonin and SP colocalize. The marginal topography of neurons expressing the SP receptor supports the view of the involvement of neurons located in the vicinity of the nucleus in the regulation of circadian rhythms.