The distribution of catecholamines in the hypothalamus of the cat

The distribution of catecholamine containing nerve terminals has been studied in the cat hypothalamus using a fluorescent histochemical technique. A heavy distribution of catecholamine containing nerve terminals was found in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. Strongly fluorescent terminals were seen in the dorsomedial, perifornical, and stria terminalis nuclei. Nuclei related to the tubero infundibular tract also displayed profuse monoamine terminals, especially the infundibular nucleus. The ventromedial nucleus, however, was almost devoid of fluorescent terminals. The infundibular stalk contained numbers of longitudinally oriented fibers. These fibers terminated around capillaries in the zona externa of the stalk. Cellular fluorescence was not marked. There was fluorescence in some cells of the infundibular nucleus, the supramammillary nucleus and occasional cells in the posterior hypothalamic area.