Effects of retinal lesions upon the distribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in the chick visual system

Abstract

Immunohistochemistry was used in this study to evaluate the effects of retinal lesions upon the distribution of neuronal nicotinic acetylocholine receptor subunits in the chick visual system. Following unilateral retinal lesions, the neuropil staining with an antibody against the β2 receptor subunit, a major component of α‐bungarotoxin‐insensitive nicotinic receptors, was dramatically reduced or completely eliminated in all of the contralateral retinorecipient structures. On the other hand, neuropil staining with antibodies against two α‐bungarotoxinsensitive receptor subunits, α7 and α8, was only slightly affected after retinal lesions. Decreased neuropil staining for α7‐like immunoreactivity was only observed in the nucleus of the basal optic root and layers 2–4 and 7 of the optic tectum. For α8‐like immunoreactivity, slight reduction of neuropil staining could be observed in the ventral geniculate complex, griseum tecti, nucleus lateralis anterior, nucleus lentiformis mesencephali,