Spatial Distribution of Parvalbumin-Positive Fibers in the Mouse Brain and Their Alterations in Mouse Models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Disease
Changgeng Song1,2 · Yan Zhao1 · Jiajia Zhang3 · Ziyi Dong1 · Xin Kang1 · Yuqi Pan1 · Jinle Du1 · Yiting Gao1 · Haifeng Zhang1 · Ye Xi1 · Hui Ding1 · Fang Kuang1 · Wenting Wang1 · Ceng Luo1 · Zhengping Zhang4 · Qinpeng Zhao4 · Jiazhou Yang5 · Wen Jiang2 · Shengxi Wu1 · Fang Gao11 Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, China
2 Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, China
3 National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, China
4 Department of Spinal Surgery, Honghui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi’an 710054, China
5 The Medical College of Yan’an University, Yan’an 716000, China
Abstract
Parvalbumin interneurons belong to the major types of GABAergic interneurons. Although the distribution and pathological alterations of parvalbumin interneuron somata have been widely studied, the distribution and vulnerability of the neurites and fibers extending from parvalbumin interneurons have not been detailly interrogated. Through the Cre recombinase-reporter system, we visualized parvalbumin-positive fibers and thoroughly investigated their spatial distribution in the mouse brain. We found that parvalbumin fibers are widely distributed in the brain with specific morphological characteristics in different regions, among which the cortex and thalamus exhibited the most intense parvalbumin signals. In regions such as the striatum and optic tract, even long-range thick parvalbumin projections were detected. Furthermore, in mouse models of temporal lobe epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, parvalbumin fibers suffered both massive and subtle morphological alterations. Our study provides an overview of parvalbumin fibers in the brain and emphasizes the potential pathological implications of parvalbumin fiber alterations.
Keywords
Parvalbumin interneuron; Neuronal fber; Spatial distribution; Pathological alteration; Temporal lobe epilepsy; Status epilepticus; Parkinson’s disease
