The Effect of Tryptophan on Serotonin-Like Neurons in Duck Cerebellum

Healthy Cherry Valley ducks were used in the present study. Different doses of tryptophan were injected intraperitoneally to them after being fasted 4 h （8：00 a.m.-12：00 a.m.）. One hour later, they were deeply anaesthetized and perfused. The cerebellum was removed to make serial paraffin longitudinal sections. The streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex （SABC） method was used to study the distribution of serotonin-like neurons in the cerebellum. All films were analysed by using a computer-assisted image analysis system. Serotonin-like neurons are only localized in cerebellar Purkinje cell layer. The optical density averages of serotonin-like neurons in 200 and 100 mg kg^-1 group are significantly higher than that of 0 mg kg^-1 group （P〈0.01）. These results show that serotonin-like neurons are distributed in Purkinje cell layer and that excessive tryptophan can affect the content of serotonin in cerebellum.