Athway from DMH to ARH was clearly evident with a number of DiI-labeled fibers mixed together with ARH NPY-GFP neurons (Fig. 3J ). Together, axonal projections from the DMH to the ARH developed quickly and appeared to be well established by P21. Developmental changes of GABA signaling in NAG neurons GABA undergoes a functional switch from excitatory to inhibitory during postnatal development. These changes in GABA function are attributed to a de- Figure 3. Age-associated changes in juxtaposed GABAergic terminals on NAG neurons and ARRY-334543 chemical information formation of projection pathways crease in intracellular Cl concentrations from the DMH to the ARH. A , Representative confocal images of NPY-GFP somas and proximal process filled with biocytin due to a rise in KCC2 expression, a potas- (red) during electrophysiological recording and VGAT (cyan) immunoreactivity. Left, Maximum projection images. Right, Zoomed sium chloride cotransporter (Chen et al., 1 M single optical slices in P13 15 (A), P21 23 (B), and young-adult mice (C). Arrows order ARRY-334543 indicate juxtapositions (colocalization) 1996; Gao and van den Pol, 2001; Sun et suggesting possible synaptic contacts. Scale bar, 10 M. D, Quantitative comparison of the number of VGAT synaptic boutons in al., 2013). To investigate gene expression close contact with biocytin-filled NAG proximal process (n 2? optical sections per age, 31 animals). Results are shown as levels of essential Cl cotransporters, mean SEM; **p 0.01, by ANOVA, post hoc Tukey’s test. E , Representative confocal images of DiI implants (red) and such as KCC2 and NKCC1 (Na – DiI-labeled fibers (red) in the DMH and ARH during the third week of postnatal development. E, H, Appearance and distribution of Cl -K cotransporter) in NAG neurons, a DiI-implant (red) in the DMH of postnatal mice at P15 and P21; DAPI staining (cyan), 10 (white dashed lines indicate we isolated micropunches from the ARH the borders of the DMH). Confocal images of the ARH taken at 40 (F, I ) and 63 with a digital zoom of two (G, J ), showing the at P12 13 and performed qPCR. We distribution of DiI-labeled (red) fibers and NPY-GFP neurons (green) in two mice (P15 and P21). Gray dashed lines define the found that expression levels for KCC2 limits of the high-magnification (63 ) images. 3V, Third ventricle. were significantly higher than NKCC1 in in the presence of 30 M GABA. The magnitude of the hyperpothe ARH, which is expected in mature neurons (Fig. 4B; n 6, 10 larization was 5 1 mV in 77 of neurons tested (Fig. 4A; n animals; t(10) 3.2, p 0.001, unpaired t test). To examine the 13, 6 animals; t(9) 4.8, p 0.001, paired t test). At P21 23, functional effects of GABA on NAG neurons during developapplication of 30 M GABA continued to induce membrane hyment, we performed current-clamp recordings in ARH NPYperpolarization (7.8 1.1 mV; Fig. 4A; n 7, 4 animals; t(6) GFP at the following ages: P13 15, P21 23, and young adult 6.7, p 0.0005, paired t test). GABA inhibited 100 of NPY(9 ?0 weeks). In all experiments, GABA was applied at 30 M, a GFP neurons tested at P21 23, which is similar to the levels obconcentration shown to elicit submaximal responses in developserved in the adult. In young adults, 30 M GABA causes membrane ing hypothalamic neurons (Chen et al., 1996). NPY-GFP neuhyperpolarization (10.3 1.2 mV) in 100 of ARH NPY-GFP rons from P13 15 mice showed membrane hyperpolarizationBaquero et al. ?Synaptic Distribution in Arcuate Nucleus NeuronsJ. Neurosci., June 3, 2015 ?35(22):8558 ?.Athway from DMH to ARH was clearly evident with a number of DiI-labeled fibers mixed together with ARH NPY-GFP neurons (Fig. 3J ). Together, axonal projections from the DMH to the ARH developed quickly and appeared to be well established by P21. Developmental changes of GABA signaling in NAG neurons GABA undergoes a functional switch from excitatory to inhibitory during postnatal development. These changes in GABA function are attributed to a de- Figure 3. Age-associated changes in juxtaposed GABAergic terminals on NAG neurons and formation of projection pathways crease in intracellular Cl concentrations from the DMH to the ARH. A , Representative confocal images of NPY-GFP somas and proximal process filled with biocytin due to a rise in KCC2 expression, a potas- (red) during electrophysiological recording and VGAT (cyan) immunoreactivity. Left, Maximum projection images. Right, Zoomed sium chloride cotransporter (Chen et al., 1 M single optical slices in P13 15 (A), P21 23 (B), and young-adult mice (C). Arrows indicate juxtapositions (colocalization) 1996; Gao and van den Pol, 2001; Sun et suggesting possible synaptic contacts. Scale bar, 10 M. D, Quantitative comparison of the number of VGAT synaptic boutons in al., 2013). To investigate gene expression close contact with biocytin-filled NAG proximal process (n 2? optical sections per age, 31 animals). Results are shown as levels of essential Cl cotransporters, mean SEM; **p 0.01, by ANOVA, post hoc Tukey’s test. E , Representative confocal images of DiI implants (red) and such as KCC2 and NKCC1 (Na – DiI-labeled fibers (red) in the DMH and ARH during the third week of postnatal development. E, H, Appearance and distribution of Cl -K cotransporter) in NAG neurons, a DiI-implant (red) in the DMH of postnatal mice at P15 and P21; DAPI staining (cyan), 10 (white dashed lines indicate we isolated micropunches from the ARH the borders of the DMH). Confocal images of the ARH taken at 40 (F, I ) and 63 with a digital zoom of two (G, J ), showing the at P12 13 and performed qPCR. We distribution of DiI-labeled (red) fibers and NPY-GFP neurons (green) in two mice (P15 and P21). Gray dashed lines define the found that expression levels for KCC2 limits of the high-magnification (63 ) images. 3V, Third ventricle. were significantly higher than NKCC1 in in the presence of 30 M GABA. The magnitude of the hyperpothe ARH, which is expected in mature neurons (Fig. 4B; n 6, 10 larization was 5 1 mV in 77 of neurons tested (Fig. 4A; n animals; t(10) 3.2, p 0.001, unpaired t test). To examine the 13, 6 animals; t(9) 4.8, p 0.001, paired t test). At P21 23, functional effects of GABA on NAG neurons during developapplication of 30 M GABA continued to induce membrane hyment, we performed current-clamp recordings in ARH NPYperpolarization (7.8 1.1 mV; Fig. 4A; n 7, 4 animals; t(6) GFP at the following ages: P13 15, P21 23, and young adult 6.7, p 0.0005, paired t test). GABA inhibited 100 of NPY(9 ?0 weeks). In all experiments, GABA was applied at 30 M, a GFP neurons tested at P21 23, which is similar to the levels obconcentration shown to elicit submaximal responses in developserved in the adult. In young adults, 30 M GABA causes membrane ing hypothalamic neurons (Chen et al., 1996). NPY-GFP neuhyperpolarization (10.3 1.2 mV) in 100 of ARH NPY-GFP rons from P13 15 mice showed membrane hyperpolarizationBaquero et al. ?Synaptic Distribution in Arcuate Nucleus NeuronsJ. Neurosci., June 3, 2015 ?35(22):8558 ?.