Interneurons in the CA1 stratum oriens expressing αTTP may play a role in the delayed-ageing Pol µ mouse model.

Neurodegeneration associated with ageing is closely linked to oxidative stress (OS) and disrupted calcium homeostasis. Some areas of the brain, like the hippocampus - particularly the CA1 region - have shown a high susceptibility to age-related changes, displaying early signs of pathology and neuronal loss. Antioxidants such as α-tocopherol (αT) have been effective in mitigating the impact of OS during ageing. αT homeostasis is primarily regulated by the α-tocopherol transfer protein (αTTP), which is widely distributed throughout the brain - where it plays a crucial role in maintaining αT levels within neuronal cells. This study investigates the distribution of αTTP in the hippocampus of 4- and 24-month-old Pol µ knockout mice (Pol µ-/-), a delayed-ageing model, and the wild type (Pol µ+/+). We also examine the colocalisation in the stratum oriens (st.or) of CA1 region with the primary interneuron populations expressing calcium-binding proteins (CBPs) (calbindin (CB), parvalbumin (PV), and calretinin (CR)). Our findings reveal that αTTP immunoreactivity (-IR) in the st.or of Pol µ mice is significantly reduced. The density of PV-expressing interneurons (INs) increased in aged mice in both Pol µ genotypes (Pol µ-/- and Pol µ+/+), although the density of PV-positive INs was lower in the aged Pol µ-/- mice compared to wild-type mice. By contrast, CR- and CB-positive INs in Pol µ mice remained unchanged during ageing. Furthermore, double immunohistochemistry reveals the colocalisation of αTTP with CBPs in INs of the CA1 st.or. Our study also shows that the PV/αTTP-positive IN population remains unchanged in all groups. A significant decrease of CB/αTTP-positive INs in young Pol µ-/- mice has been detected, as well as a significant increase in CR/αTTP-IR in older Pol µ-/- animals. These results suggest that the differential expression of αTTP and CBPs could have a crucial effect in aiding the survival and maintenance of the different IN populations in the CA1 st.or, and their coexpression could contribute to the enhancement of their resistance to OS-related damage and neurodegeneration associated with ageing.

Distribution of peptidergic populations in the human dentate gyrus (somatostatin [SOM-28, SOM-12] and neuropeptide Y [NPY]) during postnatal development.

The postnatal development of the human hippocampal formation establishes the time and place at which we start autobiographical memories. However, data concerning the maturation of the neurochemical phenotypes characteristic of interneurons in the human hippocampus are scarce. We have studied the perinatal and postnatal changes of the dentate gyrus (DG) interneuron populations at three rostrocaudal levels. Immunohistochemically identified neurons and fibers for somatostatin (SOM-12 and SOM-28) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the co-localization of SOM-28 and NPY were analyzed. In total, 13 cases were investigated from late pregnancy (1 case), perinatal period (6 cases), first year (1 case), early infancy (3 cases), and late infancy (2 cases). Overall, the pattern of distribution of these peptides in the DG was similar to that of the adult. The distribution of cells was charted, and the cell density (number of positive cells/mm(2)) was calculated. The highest density corresponded to the polymorphic cell layer and was higher at pre- and perinatal periods. At increasing ages, neuron density modifications revealed a decrease from 5 postnatal months onward. In contrast, by late infancy, two immunoreactive bands for SOM-28 and NPY in the molecular layer were much better defined. Double-immunohistochemistry showed that NPY-positive neurons co-localized with SOM-28, whereas some fibers contained only one or other of the neuropeptides. Thus, this peptidergic population, presumably inhibitory, probably has a role in DG maturation and its subsequent functional activity in memory processing.

The human parahippocampal region: I. Temporal pole cytoarchitectonic and MRI correlation.

The temporal pole (TP) is the rostralmost portion of the human temporal lobe. Characteristically, it is only present in human and nonhuman primates. TP has been implicated in different cognitive functions such as emotion, attention, behavior, and memory, based on functional studies performed in healthy controls and patients with neurodegenerative diseases through its anatomical connections (amygdala, pulvinar, orbitofrontal cortex). TP was originally described as a single uniform area by Brodmann area 38, and von Economo (area TG of von Economo and Koskinas), and little information on its cytoarchitectonics is known in humans. We hypothesize that 1) TP is not a homogenous area and we aim first at fixating the precise extent and limits of temporopolar cortex (TPC) with adjacent fields and 2) its structure can be correlated with structural magnetic resonance images. We describe here the macroscopic characteristics and cytoarchitecture as two subfields, a medial and a lateral area, that constitute TPC also noticeable in 2D and 3D reconstructions. Our findings suggest that the human TP is a heterogeneous region formed exclusively by TPC for about 7 mm of the temporal tip, and that becomes progressively restricted to the medial and ventral sides of the TP. This cortical area presents topographical and structural features in common with nonhuman primates, which suggests an evolutionary development in human species.

Downstream effects of polypathology on neurodegeneration of medial temporal lobe subregions.

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) is a nidus for neurodegenerative pathologies and therefore an important region in which to study polypathology. We investigated associations between neurodegenerative pathologies and the thickness of different MTL subregions measured using high-resolution post-mortem MRI. Tau, TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), amyloid-ß and α-synuclein pathology were rated on a scale of 0 (absent)-3 (severe) in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (ERC) of 58 individuals with and without neurodegenerative diseases (median age 75.0 years, 60.3% male). Thickness measurements in ERC, Brodmann Area (BA) 35 and 36, parahippocampal cortex, subiculum, cornu ammonis (CA)1 and the stratum radiatum lacunosum moleculare (SRLM) were derived from 0.2 × 0.2 × 0.2 mm3 post-mortem MRI scans of excised MTL specimens from the contralateral hemisphere using a semi-automated approach. Spearman's rank correlations were performed between neurodegenerative pathologies and thickness, correcting for age, sex and hemisphere, including all four proteinopathies in the model. We found significant associations of (1) TDP-43 with thickness in all subregions (r = - 0.27 to r = - 0.46), and (2) tau with BA35 (r = - 0.31) and SRLM thickness (r = - 0.33). In amyloid-ß and TDP-43 negative cases, we found strong significant associations of tau with ERC (r = - 0.40), BA35 (r = - 0.55), subiculum (r = - 0.42) and CA1 thickness (r = - 0.47). This unique dataset shows widespread MTL atrophy in relation to TDP-43 pathology and atrophy in regions affected early in Braak stageing and tau pathology. Moreover, the strong association of tau with thickness in early Braak regions in the absence of amyloid-ß suggests a role of Primary Age-Related Tauopathy in neurodegeneration.

Subicular and CA1 hippocampal projections to the accessory olfactory bulb.

The hippocampal formation is anatomically and functionally related to the olfactory structures especially in rodents. The entorhinal cortex (EC) receives afferent projections from the main olfactory bulb; this constitutes an olfactory pathway to the hippocampus. In addition to the olfactory system, most mammals possess an accessory olfactory (or vomeronasal) system. The relationships between the hippocampal formation and the vomeronasal system are virtually unexplored. Recently, a centrifugal projection from CA1 to the accessory olfactory bulb has been identified using anterograde tracers. In the study reported herein, experiments using anterograde tracers confirm this projection, and injections of retrograde tracers show the distribution and morphology of a population of CA1 and ventral subicular neurons projecting to the accessory olfactory bulb of rats. These results extend previous descriptions of hippocampal projections to the accessory olfactory bulb by including the ventral subiculum and characterizing the morphology, neurochemistry (double labeling with somatostatin), and distribution of such neurons. These data suggest feedback hippocampal control of chemosensory stimuli in the accessory olfactory bulb. Whether this projection processes spatial information on conspecifics or is involved in learning and memory processes associated with chemical stimuli remains to be elucidated.

Recovery of chronic parkinsonian monkeys by autotransplants of carotid body cell aggregates into putamen.

We have studied the effect of unilateral autografts of carotid body cell aggregates into the putamen of MPTP-treated monkeys with chronic parkinsonism. Two to four weeks after transplantation, the monkeys initiated a progressive recovery of mobility with reduction of tremor and bradykinesia and restoration of fine motor abilities on the contralateral side. Apomorphine injections induced rotations toward the side of the transplant. Functional recovery was accompanied by the survival of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive (TH-positive) grafted glomus cells. A high density of TH-immunoreactive fibers was seen reinnervating broad regions of the ipsilateral putamen and caudate nucleus. The nongrafted, contralateral striatum remained deafferented. Intrastriatal autografting of carotid body tissue is a feasible technique with beneficial effects on parkinsonian monkeys; thus, this therapeutic approach could also be applied to treat patients with Parkinson's disease.

Convergence of unimodal and polymodal sensory input to the entorhinal cortex in the fascicularis monkey.

The hippocampal formation is a key structure in memory formation and consolidation. The hippocampus receives information from different cortical and subcortical sources. Cortical information is mostly funneled to the hippocampus through the entorhinal cortex (EC) in a bi-directional way that ultimately ends in the cortex. Retrograde tracing studies in the nonhuman primate indicate that more than two-thirds of the cortical afferents to the EC come from polymodal sensory association areas. Although some evidence for the projection from visual unimodal cortex to the EC exists, inputs from other visual and auditory unimodal association areas, and the possibility of their convergence with polymodal input in the EC remains largely undisclosed. We studied 10 Macaca fascicularis monkeys in which cortical deposits of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran-amine were made into different portions of visual and auditory unimodal association cortices in the temporal lobe, and in polymodal association cortex at the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus. Visual and auditory unimodal as well as polymodal cortical areas projected to the EC. Both visual unimodal and polymodal association cortices presented dense projections, while those from unimodal auditory association cortex were more patchy and less dense. In all instances, the projection distributed in both the superficial and deep layers of the EC. However, while polymodal cortex projected to all layers (including layer I), visual unimodal cortex did not project to layer I, and auditory unimodal cortex projected less densely, scattered through all layers. Topographically, convergence from the three cortical areas studied can be observed in the lateral rostral and lateral caudal subfields. The present study suggests that unimodal and polymodal association cortical inputs converge in the lateral EC, thereby providing the possibility for the integration of complex stimuli for internal representations in declarative memory elaboration.

Vomeronasal inputs to the rodent ventral striatum.

Vertebrates sense chemical signals through the olfactory and vomeronasal systems. In squamate reptiles, which possess the largest vomeronasal system of all vertebrates, the accessory olfactory bulb projects to the nucleus sphericus, which in turn projects to a portion of the ventral striatum known as olfactostriatum. Characteristically, the olfactostriatum is innervated by neuropeptide Y, tyrosine hydroxylase and serotonin immunoreactive fibers. In this study, the possibility that a structure similar to the reptilian olfactostriatum might be present in the mammalian brain has been investigated. Injections of dextran-amines have been aimed at the posteromedial cortical amygdaloid nucleus (the putative mammalian homologue of the reptilian nucleus sphericus) of rats and mice. The resulting anterograde labeling includes the olfactory tubercle, the islands of Calleja and sparse terminal fields in the shell of the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum. This projection has been confirmed by injections of retrograde tracers into the ventral striato-pallidum that render retrograde labeling in the posteromedial cortical amygdaloid nucleus. The analysis of the distribution of neuropeptide Y, tyrosine hydroxylase, serotonin and substance P in the ventral striato-pallidum of rats, and the anterograde tracing of the vomeronasal amygdaloid input in the same material confirm that, similar to reptiles, the ventral striatum of mammals includes a specialized vomeronasal structure (olfactory tubercle and islands of Calleja) displaying dense neuropeptide Y-, tyrosine hydroxylase- and serotonin-immunoreactive innervations. The possibility that parts of the accumbens shell and/or ventral pallidum could be included in the mammalian olfactostriatum cannot be discarded.

Three-dimensional analysis of synapses in the transentorhinal cortex of Alzheimer's disease patients.

Synaptic dysfunction or loss in early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to be a major structural correlate of cognitive dysfunction. Early loss of episodic memory, which occurs at the early stage of AD, is closely associated with the progressive degeneration of medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures of which the transentorhinal cortex (TEC) is the first affected area. However, no ultrastructural studies have been performed in this region in human brain samples from AD patients. In the present study, we have performed a detailed three-dimensional (3D) ultrastructural analysis using focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) to investigate possible synaptic alterations in the TEC of patients with AD. Surprisingly, the analysis of the density, morphological features and spatial distribution of synapses in the neuropil showed no significant differences between AD and control samples. However, light microscopy studies showed that cortical thickness of the TEC was severely reduced in AD samples, but there were no changes in the volume occupied by neuronal and glial cell bodies, blood vessels, and neuropil. Thus, the present results indicate that there is a dramatic loss of absolute number of synapses, while the morphology of synaptic junctions and synaptic spatial distribution are maintained. How these changes affect cognitive impairment in AD remains to be elucidated.

Anatomical segmentation of the human medial prefrontal cortex.

The medial prefrontal areas 32, 24, 14, and 25 (mPFC) form part of the limbic memory system, but little is known about their functional specialization in humans. To add anatomical precision to structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, we aimed to identify these mPFC subareas in histological preparations of human brain tissue, determine sulci most consistently related with mPFC areal boundaries, and use these sulci to delineate mPFC areas in MRIs. To achieve this, we obtained three-dimensional MRI data from 11 ex vivo hemispheres and processed them for cyto- and myelo-architectonic analysis. The architectonic boundaries of mPFC areas were identified in histology and cortical surface length and volumes were measured. Unfolded maps of histologically determined boundaries were generated to identify the association of mPFC areal boundaries with sulci across cases. This analysis showed that cingulate and superior rostral were the sulci most consistently related to mPFC areal boundaries. Based on presence/absence and anastomosis between such sulci, 6 sulci patterns in the 11 hemispheres were found. A further analysis of 102 hemispheres of in vivo MRI scans (N = 51 males, mean ± SD 24.1 ± 3.1 years of age) showed similar sulci patterns, which allowed us to delineate the mFPC areas in them. The volumes of mPFC areas across histological, ex vivo and in vivo MRI delineations were comparable and probabilistic maps generated from the MRIs of the102 hemispheres. Probabilistic maps of mPFC areas were registered to MNI space and are available for regional analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data.

Thiamine-like fibers in the monkey brain: an immunocytochemical study.

The distribution of thiamine-immunoreactive structures was studied in the brain of the monkey using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. Fibers containing thiamine, but no thiamine-immunoreactive cell bodies, were found. The highest density of fibers containing thiamine was observed in the pulvinar nucleus and in the region extending from the pulvinar nucleus to the caudate nucleus. In the mesencephalon, immunoreactive fibers containing thiamine were only found at rostral level close to the medial lemniscus (at the mesencephalic-diencephalic junction). In the thalamus, the distribution of thiamine-immunoreactive structures was more widespread. Thus, immunoreactive fibers were found in nuclei close to the midline (centrum medianum/parafascicular complex), in the ventrolateral thalamus (medial geniculate nucleus, inferior pulvinar nucleus), and in the dorsolateral thalamus (lateral posterior nucleus, pulvinar nucleus). Finally, in the anterior commissure and in the cerebral cortex a low density immunoreactive fibers was visualized. Thus, in the brainstem, no immunoreactive structures were visualized in the medulla oblongata, pons, or in the medial-caudal mesencephalon, and no immunoreactive fibers were observed in the cerebellum, hypothalamus and in the basal ganglia. The present report describes the first visualization and the morphological characteristics (thick, smooth and short, medium or long in length) of the thiamine-immunoreactive fibers in the primate central nervous system using an antiserum directed against this vitamin. The distribution of thiamine-immunoreactive structures in the monkey brain suggests that this vitamin could be involved in several physiological mechanisms.

Riboflavin-like inmunoreactive fibers in the monkey brain.

Using an antiserum directed against the vitamin riboflavin, we studied the distribution of riboflavin-like immunoreactive structures in the monkey brain. In the mesencephalon, at the level of the mesencephalic-diencephalic junction, single riboflavin-like immunoreactive fibers were observed in its dorsal part, whereas a low density of immunoreactive fibers was found below the surface of the section and close to substantia nigra, and a high density was observed above the substantia nigra and close to the medial geniculate nucleus. In the thalamus, single riboflavin-like immunoreactive fibers were found in the ventral regions of the lateral posterior and the medial geniculate nuclei; a low density in the region located above the medial and lateral geniculate nuclei and a high density in the ventral part of the pulvinar nucleus and in the region extending from this latter to the caudate nucleus. Immunoreactive fibers were not observed in the medulla oblongata, pons, cerebellum, hypothalamus, basal ganglia and cerebral cortex. Moreover, no riboflavin-like immunoreactive cell bodies were observed in the monkey brain. The distribution of riboflavin-like immunoreactive fibers in the monkey suggests that this vitamin could be involved in several physiological mechanisms.

[Quantitative volumetric analysis of the hippocampus, amygdala and entorhinal cortex: normative database for the adult Portuguese population]. / Análisis volumétrico mesiotemporal: valores normativos del hipocampo, la amígdala y el córtex entorrinal en la población adulta portuguesa.

INTRODUCTION: Atrophy of the hippocampus, amygdala and entorhinal cortex can be found in neurodegenerative diseases, head trauma and epilepsy and are expressed by means of volume reductions. The ability to detect these changes quantitatively depends on accurate comparisons with normative databases. AIM: To present standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumes of the mesio-temporal lobe structures and an objective statistical methodology for contrasting pathological states. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Volumes of the right and left hippocampi, amygdalae and entorhinal cortex were measured from MRI in 34 right-handed healthy volunteers, aged 19-52 years. Data were normalized for the individual variation in total intracranial volume. Reproducibility was confirmed by intra/inter-observer tests. The statistical analyses included asymmetry comparisons, correlations between volumes and tests to assess the influence of age, gender and general morphometry (body mass index and height). For each volume, we further defined a normative interval by means of 99% confidence ellipses, accordingly to Hotteling's method. RESULTS: Right-left asymmetry in the volumes of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex was a normal finding. Structures located in the right hemisphere were larger than the left by a small but statistically significant amount. No asymmetry was found in the amygdala. There was no correlation in-between these volumes. Gender differences were exclusively noted in the absolute amygdala volumes (male > female) but were eliminated by the normalization procedure. No effect of age or morphometry was seen in the absolute or normalized volumes (except for a milder correlation between hippocampal volumes and height). Confidence ellipses were built for every structure and provided a precise reading of the data. Particularly, it allowed for a clear distinction of pathological asymmetries and bilateral cases. CONCLUSION: These normative volumes serve as a reference for the assessment of pathologic groups within similar age-range. The use of a single graphic representation simplifies the clinical interpretation and enhances the precision of the results.

Anatomical pathways for auditory memory II: information from rostral superior temporal gyrus to dorsolateral temporal pole and medial temporal cortex.

Auditory recognition memory in non-human primates differs from recognition memory in other sensory systems. Monkeys learn the rule for visual and tactile delayed matching-to-sample within a few sessions, and then show one-trial recognition memory lasting 10-20 min. In contrast, monkeys require hundreds of sessions to master the rule for auditory recognition, and then show retention lasting no longer than 30-40 s. Moreover, unlike the severe effects of rhinal lesions on visual memory, such lesions have no effect on the monkeys' auditory memory performance. The anatomical pathways for auditory memory may differ from those in vision. Long-term visual recognition memory requires anatomical connections from the visual association area TE with areas 35 and 36 of the perirhinal cortex (PRC). We examined whether there is a similar anatomical route for auditory processing, or that poor auditory recognition memory may reflect the lack of such a pathway. Our hypothesis is that an auditory pathway for recognition memory originates in the higher order processing areas of the rostral superior temporal gyrus (rSTG), and then connects via the dorsolateral temporal pole to access the rhinal cortex of the medial temporal lobe. To test this, we placed retrograde (3% FB and 2% DY) and anterograde (10% BDA 10,000 mW) tracer injections in rSTG and the dorsolateral area 38 DL of the temporal pole. Results showed that area 38DL receives dense projections from auditory association areas Ts1, TAa, TPO of the rSTG, from the rostral parabelt and, to a lesser extent, from areas Ts2-3 and PGa. In turn, area 38DL projects densely to area 35 of PRC, entorhinal cortex (EC), and to areas TH/TF of the posterior parahippocampal cortex. Significantly, this projection avoids most of area 36r/c of PRC. This anatomical arrangement may contribute to our understanding of the poor auditory memory of rhesus monkeys.

Developmental study of vitamin C distribution in children's brainstems by immunohistochemistry.

Vitamin C (Vit C) is an important antioxidant, exerts powerful neuroprotective brain effects and plays a role in neuronal development and maturation. Vit C is present in brain tissue at higher concentrations than in other organs, but its detailed distribution in brain is unknown. Immunohistochemical detection of this vitamin has been performed by using a highly specific antibody against Vit C. The aim of the present work was to analyze the distribution of Vit C in children's brainstems during postnatal development, comparing two groups of ages: younger and older than one year of life. In general, the same areas showing neurons with Vit C in young cases are also immunostained at older ages. The distribution of neurons containing Vit C was broader in the brainstems of older children, suggesting that brainstem neurons maintain or even increase their ability to retain Vit C along the life span. Immunohistochemical labeling revealed only cell bodies containing this vitamin, and no immunoreactive fibers were observed. The distribution pattern of Vit C in children's brainstems suggests a possible role of Vit C in brain homeostatic regulation. In addition, the constant presence of Vit C in neurons of locus coeruleus supports the important role of Vit C in noradrenaline synthesis, which seemed to be maintained along postnatal development.

Volumes of the entorhinal and perirhinal cortices in Alzheimer's disease.

We measured the volumes of the entorhinal, perirhinal, and temporopolar cortices on magnetic resonance images by using a recently designed histology-based protocol in 30 patients with early Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 32 healthy control subjects. Compared to the controls, all of these cortical regions were significantly atrophied in AD patients (p < 0.0001). However, the entorhinal cortex was the most severely involved brain region studied, with 40% volume loss, and this region provided the highest discriminative accuracy (92%) in separating patients with AD from healthy control subjects. Importantly, the entorhinal volume loss was evident already in mild AD. In addition, the volume of the entorhinal cortex was not dependent on age, but it did correlate significantly with the severity of the disease. Because it assesses the major site of initial neuropathological changes in AD, magnetic resonance imaging volumetric measurement of the entorhinal cortex can offer a tool for distinguishing AD patients even in the very early stages of the disease from healthy aged subjects.

The entorhinal cortex of the monkey: III. Subcortical afferents.

The subcortical afferent connections of the entorhinal cortex of the Macaca fascicularis monkey were investigated by the placement of small injections of the retrograde tracer wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase into each of its subdivisions. Retrogradely labeled cells were observed in several subcortical regions including the amygdaloid complex, claustrum, basal forebrain, thalamus, hypothalamus, and brainstem. In the amygdala, labeled cells were observed principally in the lateral nucleus, the accessory basal nucleus, the deep or paralaminar portion of the basal nucleus, and the periamygdaloid cortex. Additional retrogradely labeled cells were found in the endopiriform nucleus, the anterior amygdaloid area, and the cortical nuclei. Retrogradely labeled cells were observed throughout much of the rostrocaudal extent of the claustrum and tended to be located in its ventral half. In the basal forebrain, retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the medial septal nucleus, the nucleus of the diagonal band, and to lesser extent within the substantia innominata. Several of the cells in the latter region were large and located within the densely packed neuronal clusters of the basal nucleus of Meynert. Most of the labeled cells in the thalamus were located in the midline nuclei. Many were found in nucleus reuniens, but even greater numbers were located in the centralis complex. Additional labeled cells were located in the paraventricular and parataenial nuclei. In all cases, numerous retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the medial pulvinar. In the hypothalamus, most of the retrogradely labeled cells were located in the supramamillary area, though scattered cells were also observed in the perifornical region and in the lateral hypothalamic area. Caudal to the mamillary nuclei there were labeled cells in the ventral tegmental area. There were relatively few labeled cells in the brainstem and these were invariably located either in the raphe nuclei or locus coeruleus.

The commissural connections of the monkey hippocampal formation.

The commissural connections of the hippocampal formation have been analyzed in the monkey (Macaca fascicularis) using both anterograde and retrograde labeling techniques. We have observed a number of striking differences between the organization of the commissural projections in the monkey and that observed in the rodent brain. In particular, only the rostral (or uncal) part of Ammon's horn (or hippocampus proper) and the associated part of the dentate gyrus have been found to be connected by commissural fibers. This is in marked contrast to the organization of the crossed connections in the rodent brain where both major fields of the hippocampus (i.e., the regio superior and the regio inferior) receive a strong, topographically organized, projection throughout their rostrocaudal extent from the regio inferior of the opposite side, while the inner third of the molecular layer of the entire dentate gyrus receives a topographically organized input from cells in the hilar region of the contralateral dentate gyrus. The subicular complex of the monkey gives rise to a substantially greater number of commissurally directed fibers. The subiculum itself projects to the posterior portion of the contralateral medial entorhinal cortex and receives a less substantial reciprocal projection from this same area; the subiculum does not appear to be homotopically interconnected. The presubiculum gives rise to the major commissural projection of the monkey hippocampal formation. From all rostrocaudal levels of the presubiculum there is a robust projection to the contralateral medial entorhinal cortex. This projection seems to be topographically organized and terminates most heavily in layers III and IV of the entorhinal cortex. This crossed presubiculo-entorhinal projection is paralleled in its organization by an associational projection from the presubiculum to the ipsilateral entorhinal cortex, but interestingly, the presubiculum does not seem to project to the presubiculum of the opposite side. The parasubiculum projects to neither the contralateral entorhinal cortex nor the contralateral parasubiculum. However, the subicular complex as a whole appears to be in receipt of a minor input from the contralateral parahippocampal gyrus (fields TF and TH of Bonin and Bailey). Cells primarily in layer III of the medial entorhinal cortex (area 28a) project homotopically to the contralateral entorhinal cortex where they terminate in layer III. The medial entorhinal cortex also gives rise to a minor projection to the contralateral parasubiculum and to the regio superior of the contralateral hippocampus and the caudalmost part of the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Postnatal development of the ipsilateral retinocollicular projection and the effects of unilateral enucleation in the golden hamster.

Anterograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) was used to study the normal development of the ipsilateral retinocollicular projection in golden hamsters, and to examine the effect of enucleation of the other eye at birth. In neonatal animals there were retinal fibers and sparsely distributed granular labeling in the superficial layers of the ipsilateral superior colliculus over its entire areal extent. Differences in the uncrossed projections of normal and enucleated animals first became clear at day 5. In normal animals, retinal fibers withdrew from the superficial layers of the superior colliculus, and the projection became concentrated in the stratum opticum, where denser clumps of label in the rostral part of the superior colliculus were first seen at day 5. In enucleated animals, the retinal projection persisted in the most superficial layers, and the density of labeling was higher than in normals. The very sensitive WGA-HRP technique showed retinal fibers extending to the caudal pole of the superior colliculus at all ages: even in normal animals more than 2 weeks of age some fibers reached as far as the inferior colliculus. When the shrunken size of the superior colliculus in the enucleated animals was taken into account, the total areal distribution of the ipsilateral projection was similar in normal animals and enucleates. The major difference between the two groups was in the higher density of ipsilateral labeling, especially in the caudal part of the superior colliculus, and in its more superficial laminar distribution in the enucleated animals.

The entorhinal cortex of the monkey: I. Cytoarchitectonic organization.

As an essential preliminary to a series of experimental studies of the afferent and efferent connections of the monkey entorhinal cortex, we have carried out a detailed analysis of its cytoarchitectonic organization. Primarily on the basis of features observed in Nissl- and fiber-stained preparations, supplemented with Golgi-stained material and preparations stained for heavy metals by Timm's method and histochemically for acetylcholinesterase, the entorhinal cortex has been divided into seven fields that are named according to their rostrocaudal and mediolateral positions except for one rostrally located field that is named for the prominent input that it receives from the olfactory bulb. At rostral levels, the entorhinal cortex is marked by a number of morphological inhomogeneities. The neurons tend to be organized in patches that are surrounded by large, thick, radially oriented bundles of fibers. At caudal levels, the entorhinal cortex has a more distinctly laminated appearance, reminiscent of that in the neocortex, and most of the neurons and fiber fascicles are arranged in discrete radial columns. The cortical region adjoining the entorhinal cortex laterally, which is commonly known as the "perirhinal cortex," is in fact composed of two separate fields corresponding to areas 35 and 36 of Brodmann. Area 35 occupies the fundus and part of the lateral aspect of the rhinal sulcus. Area 36 extends from the lateral bank of the rhinal sulcus into the inferior temporal gyrus, where it borders fields TA and TE rostrally, and field TF of the parahippocampal gyrus caudally. The surface extents of each of the entorhinal fields have been determined by making "unfolded" two-dimensional maps of the region and measuring the areas with a computerized digitizing system.