Area postrema of the goldfish, Carassius auratus: ultrastructure, fiber connections, and immunocytochemistry

The area postrema in goldfish is a dorsal midline structure in the caudal medulla spanning the level of the obex. As in other vertebrates, the sinus capillaries of the area postrema in goldfish are fenestrated. In goldfish, however, the area postrema is organized in a unique laminar fashion; from superficial to deep: meninx, vasculature, palisade layer, cell body layer, and ventral neuropil layer. Virtually all of the neurons of the area postrema exhibit tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity. Each immunoreactive neuron is essentially bipolar, with a short apical dendrite extending dorsally to reach the external basal lamina of the capillaries and a basal dendrite reaching into the subjacent layer of neuropil. The apical dendrites have no synaptic specializations and probably function as interoceptors detecting blood-borne chemicals that leak out of the fenestrated capillaries. The basal dendrites receive synaptic input both within the neuropil of the area postrema and in the commissural nucleus of Cajal into which they extend. Primary afferent fibers of the subdiaphragmatic branches of the vagus nerve terminate within the area postrema and commissural nucleus. Thus the neurons of the area postrema may serve not only as direct chemoreceptive interoceptors but may also receive input from other visceral afferent systems.