In KA-treated rats, it was found that (i) the BL shrunk to 25% of its original size (<i>p</i> < 0.01 vs. controls, Student's <i>t</i>-test), (ii) the density of vesicular acetylcholine transporter-immunoreactive (VAChT-IR) varicosities was unchanged, (iii) the volumes of VAChT-IR cell bodies projecting to the BL from the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca, ventral pallidum, and subcommissural part of the substantia innominata were significantly increased (<i>p</i> < 0.05, Bonferroni correction).
Moreover, the C-terminal region of VAChT did not seem to be essential for VAChT trafficking, as a construct that lacks the C-terminal tail was, similar to EGFP-VAChT, partially targeted to endocytic organelles in the soma and sorted to varicosities.