Morphometric classification of neurosecretory granules in the neurohypophysis of the hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri

Abstract

Neurosecretory axons in the neurohypophysis of the hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri, were statistically classified into six types according to the size of secretory granules. Thes types are comparable with those in higher vertebrates. The concentration of each axon type is different in three regions: anterior dorsal wall, posterior dorsal wall, and ventral wall. The regional differences of the hagfish neurohypophysis are discussed in relation to the regional differentiation of the tetrapod neurohypophysis into the median eminence and the pars nervosa.