THE HISTOCHEMICAL-DEMONSTRATION OF MONOAMINE OXIDASE-CONTAINING NEURONS IN THE HUMAN HYPOTHALAMUS

Monoamine oxidase activity was revealed in a population of neurons, glial cells and some vessels in the post mortem human hypothalamus with monoamine oxidase histochemistry. The monoamine oxidase-containing neurons were observed in the caudal two-thirds of the basal hypothalamus, including the lateral hypothalamic area, tuberomammillary and posterior hypothalamic nucleus. The positive neurons were multipolar or fusiform in shape. The neuronal somata were medium to large in size, although the majority of the positive neurons were of a large type. The topographic localization of the monoamine oxidase-containing neurons in the human hypothalamus has been found to be more widespread than in the rat and cat hypothalamus, suggesting that the hypothalamic monoamine oxidase cell group is phylogenetically more highly organized in man compared with in the lower mammals.