Evidence for nonsynaptic serotonergic and noradrenergic innervation of the rat dorsal horn and possible involvement of neuron-glia interactions

We investigated the synaptic incidence of the contacts established by serotonergic and noradrenergic descending fibers in the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord. Serial electron microscopic sections were performed. Synapses were scarce. The majority of serotonergic and noradrenergic varicosities (more than 60%) are characterized by nonsynaptic contacts. Numerous glial profiles, and particularly astrocytic profiles, were observed in apposition with serotonergic and noradrenergic varicosities. The proportion of astroglia was higher around serotonergic and noradrenergic varicosities devoid of synaptic specialization. The length of the contact between immunoreactive nonsynaptic varicosities and astrocytes was twice as long as that between synaptic varicosities and astrocytes. Thus, the modulation of sensitive messages by serotonin and noradrenaline through pauci-synaptic varicosities in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord could be an example of the concept of “volume transmission” [ Fuxe and Agnati (1991) Volume Transmission in the Brain: Novel Mechanisms for Neural Transmission, Advances in Neuroscience, Vol. 1, pp. 1–9.] in the central nervous system. Analysis of the microenvironment of serotonergic and noradrenergic varicosities led us to make the hypothesis that glial cells, particularly astrocytes, could play some role in volume transmission.