It is well established that the adult mammalian pineal body (PB), with the exception of rodents, contains nerve cell bodies. Based on our previous results we have proposed that there is a pinealo-to-retinal neuronal connection in adult hamsters and in prebubertal rats. By the time the animals reached puberty, labeled cells in the PB were not observed in rats. In the present experiment, we provide light and electron microscopic immunohistochemical evidence that the labeled cells in the PB of prepubertal rats are neurons. Pinealocytes cannot transport neurotropic viruses. Virus labeled cells do not show S-antigen immunoreactivity typical for pinealocytes of six-day-old rats. Electron microscopic investigation confirmed the neuronal nature of virus labeled cells. These neurons, similarly to that of hamsters, also establish pinealo-to-retinal connections in prepubertal rats.

众所周知，除啮齿动物外，成年哺乳动物的松果体（PB）含有神经细胞体。根据我们以前的结果，我们提出在成年仓鼠和前柏鼠中存在松果体到视网膜的神经元连接。当动物进入青春期时，在大鼠中未观察到PB中的标记细胞。在本实验中，我们提供了光镜和电镜免疫组化证据，证明青春期前PB中的标记细胞是神经元。松细胞不能运输嗜神经病毒。病毒标记的细胞没有显示六日龄大鼠松果体细胞典型的S抗原免疫反应性。电子显微镜研究证实了病毒标记细胞的神经元性质。这些神经元与仓鼠相似，