Association of Type I Neurons Positive for NADPH-Diaphorase with Blood Vessels in the Adult Monkey Corpus Callosum

Sagittal sections through the corpus callosum of adult macaque monkeys (n = 7) reveal a subpopulation of neurons positive for NADPH-diaphorase (NADPHd). These are sparsely distributed, with 2–12 neurons scored over the anterior two-thirds of the callosum (about 14 mm). Neurons are densely labeled, type 1; but on the basis of soma and dendritic morphology, these neurons exhibit distinct heterogeneity. In one subpopulation, the cell body is narrowly attenuated (7–10 μm in width). These have bipolar dendrites, extending 300–800 μm from the cell body. One or both of the dendrites is often closely associated with blood vessels and tends to be aligned dorso-ventral, perpendicular to the body of the callosum. Another subpopulation of neurons has a larger soma (typically, 15 μm × 20 μm) and more multipolar dendrites, which are not as obviously associated with blood vessels. White matter neurons positive for NADPHd have previously been observed as a transient population, most numerous during development, in the human corpus callosum, as well as in that of other species. Their persistence in the corpus callosum of adult macaques and their close association with blood vessels has not previously been reported and is suggestive of roles other than axon guidance

White Matter Tracts Visualized by Parvalbumin in Nonhuman Primates

A well-developed white matter (WM) is one of the characteristics of the primate brain. WM compartments (“tracts” or “bundles”) are easily discernible by myelin or neurofilament stains, anterograde tracer injections in nonhuman primates (NHP), and, more recently, diffusion MRI. Relatively overlooked is the fact that several corticofugal and thalamocortical compartments and tracts can be visualized by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for calcium-binding proteins. Since this technique can be easily carried out on postmortem tissues, IHC for calcium-binding proteins is potentially an important bridge for comparisons between NHP and human tissues. This chapter attempts a brief overview of three WM tracts visualized by the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV), as well as a description of the probable origin of the two corticofugal tracts; namely, from PV+ pyramidal cells. Furthermore, the complex, intertwining trajectory of callosal axons is illustrated by single axon reconstruction of five small groups of parietal cortical axons, anterogradely labeled by biotinylated dextran amine

Projections to Early Visual Areas V1 and V2 in the Calcarine Fissure from Parietal Association Areas in the Macaque

Non-extrastriate projections to area V1 in monkeys, now demonstrated by several anatomical studies, are potential substrates of physiologically documented multisensory effects in primary sensory areas. The full network of projections among association and primary areas, however, is likely to be complex and is still only partially understood. In the present report, we used the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine to investigate projections to areas V1 and V2 from subdivisions of the parietal association cortex in macaque. Parietal cortex was chosen to allow comparisons between projections from this higher association area and from other previously reported areas. In addition, we were interested in further elucidating pathways to areas V1 and V2 from parietal areas, as potentially contributing to attention and active vision. Of eight cases, three brains had projections only to area V2, and the five others projected to both areas V1 and V2. Terminations in area V1 were sparse. These were located in supragranular layers I, II, upper III; occasionally in IVB; and in layer VI. Terminations in V2 were denser, and slightly more prevalent in the supragranular layers. For both areas, terminations were in the calcarine region, corresponding to the representation of the peripheral visual field. By reconstructions of single axons, we demonstrated that four of nine axons had collaterals, either to V1 and V2 (n = 1) or to area V1 and a ventral area likely to be TEO (n = 3). In area V1, axons extended divergently in layer VI as well as layer I. Overall, these and previous results suggest a nested connectivity architecture, consisting of multiple direct and indirect recurrent projections from association areas to area V1. Terminations in area V1 are not abundant, but could be potentiated by the network of indirect connections

Cortical White Matter: Beyond the Pale

The tracts within the subcortical white matter and corpus callosum provide an anatomical connectivity that is essential for normal cognitive functioning. These structures are predominantly made up of axons that are myelinated or unmyelinated, and entering or exiting the overlying gray matter. As is increasingly recognized, however, the white matter territory is neither inert nor static. It has its own microenvironment, consisting of scattered neurons, abundant glia, and blood vessels; but at the same time it is an integrated component with the much more neuron dense gray matter

Cortical GABAergic Neurons: Stretching It

In the cerebellum and basal ganglia, projection neurons are GABAergic; but in the cerebral cortex, there has been a historically strong dichotomy between glutamatergic projection neurons and GABAergic local circuit neurons. While this dichotomy is overwhelmingly valid, it is now clear that a small population of long-distance projecting GABAergic neurons occurs in primates, as well as in cats and rodents. Beyond their well-documented existence, however, the functional significance, ontogeny, and connectivity of this intriguing subpopulation remain obscure

The Neocortical Column

In the middle of the twentieth century, Rafael Lorente de Nó (1902?1990) introduced the fundamental concept of the ?elementary cortical unit of operation,? proposing that the cerebral cortex is formed of small cylinders containing vertical chains of neurons (Lorente de Nó, 1933, 1938). On the basis of this idea, the hypothesis was later developed of the columnar organization of the cerebral cortex, primarily following the physiological and anatomical studies of Vernon Mountcastle, David Hubel, Torsten Wiesel, János Szentágothai, Ted Jones, and Pasko Rakic (for a review of these early studies, see Mountcastle, 1998). The columnar organization hypothesis is currently the most widely adopted to explain the cortical processing of information, making its study of potential interest to any researcher interested in this tissue, both in a healthy and pathological state. However, it is frequently remarked that the nomenclature surrounding this hypothesis often generates problems, as the term ?Column? is used freely and promiscuously to refer to multiple, distinguishable entities, such as cellular or dendritic minicolumns or afferent macrocolumns, with respective diameters of menor que50 and 200?500 ?m. Another problem is the degree to which classical criteria may need to be modified (shared response properties, shared input, and common output) and if so, how. Moreover, similar problems arise when we consider the need to define area-specific and species-specific variations. Finally, and what is more an ultimate goal than a problem, it is still necessary to achieve a better fundamental understanding of what columns are and how they are used in cortical processes. Accordingly, it is now very important to translate recent technical advances and new findings in the neurosciences into practical applications for neuroscientists, clinicians, and for those interested in comparative anatomy and brain evolution

Colocalization of neurons in optical coherence microscopy and Nissl-stained histology in Brodmann’s area 32 and area 21

Published in final edited form as: Brain Struct Funct. 2019 January ; 224(1): 351–362. doi:10.1007/s00429-018-1777-z.Optical coherence tomography is an optical technique that uses backscattered light to highlight intrinsic structure, and when applied to brain tissue, it can resolve cortical layers and fiber bundles. Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is higher resolution (i.e., 1.25 µm) and is capable of detecting neurons. In a previous report, we compared the correspondence of OCM acquired imaging of neurons with traditional Nissl stained histology in entorhinal cortex layer II. In the current method-oriented study, we aimed to determine the colocalization success rate between OCM and Nissl in other brain cortical areas with different laminar arrangements and cell packing density. We focused on two additional cortical areas: medial prefrontal, pre-genual Brodmann area (BA) 32 and lateral temporal BA 21. We present the data as colocalization matrices and as quantitative percentages. The overall average colocalization in OCM compared to Nissl was 67% for BA 32 (47% for Nissl colocalization) and 60% for BA 21 (52% for Nissl colocalization), but with a large variability across cases and layers. One source of variability and confounds could be ascribed to an obscuring effect from large and dense intracortical fiber bundles. Other technical challenges, including obstacles inherent to human brain tissue, are discussed. Despite limitations, OCM is a promising semi-high throughput tool for demonstrating detail at the neuronal level, and, with further development, has distinct potential for the automatic acquisition of large databases as are required for the human brain.Accepted manuscrip

Glutamatergic input from specific sources influences the nucleus accumbens-ventral pallidum information flow

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is positioned to integrate signals originating from limbic and cortical areas and to modulate reward-related motor output of various goal-directed behaviours. The major target of the NAc GABAergic output neurons is the ventral pallidum (VP). VP is part of the reward circuit and controls the ascending mesolimbic dopamine system, as well as the motor output structures and the brainstem. The excitatory inputs governing this system converge in the NAc from the prefrontal cortex (PFC), ventral hippocampus (vHC), midline and intralaminar thalamus (TH) and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). It is unclear which if any of these afferents innervate the medium spiny neurons of the NAc, that project to the VP. To identify the source of glutamatergic afferents that innervate neurons projecting to the VP, a dual-labelling method was used: Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin for anterograde and EGFP-encoded adenovirus for retrograde tract-tracing. Within the NAc, anterogradely labelled BLA terminals formed asymmetric synapses on dendritic spines that belonged to medium spiny neurons retrogradely labelled from the VP. TH terminals also formed synapses on dendritic spines of NAc neurons projecting to the VP. However, dendrites and dendritic spines retrogradely labelled from VP received no direct synaptic contacts from afferents originating from mPFC and vHC in the present material, despite the large number of fibres labelled by the anterograde tracer injections. These findings represent the first experimental evidence for a selective glutamatergic innervation of NAc neurons projecting to the VP. The glutamatergic inputs of different origin (i.e. mPFC, vHC, BLA, TH) to the NAc might thus convey different types of reward-related information during goal-directed behaviour, and thereby contribute to the complex regulation of nucleus accumbens functions.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grants NS030549 and DA09158)GENADDICT Integrated Project (Grant LSHM-CT-2004-005166)National Office for Research and Technology (Hungary) (Grant CNK77793)Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Grant 55005608

Transient synaptic zincpositive thalamocortical terminals in the developing barrel cortex

Abstract In rat barrel cortex, layer 4 has a transiently high density of zinc-positive terminations from postnatal day (P)9 to P12 [P.W. Land & L. Shamalla-Hannah (2002) J. Comp. Neurol., 447,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. These terminations have been proposed to originate from cortico-cortical connections, but their exact origin is unknown. To determine their sources, we injected sodium selenite into the barrel cortex of two adult rats and 32 pups, from P5 to P28. As predicted, abundant zinc-positive cortically projecting neurons were visible around the injection sites and in distant cortical areas. From P9 to P13, however, neurons retrogradely labeled by zinc selenite occurred in the thalamus, in topographically appropriate regions of the ventroposterior medial (VPM) and posterior nuclei (Po). Because there are no previous reports of zinc-positive sensory thalamocortical connections, we sought corroboration of this unexpected finding by electron microscopy. This revealed a subset of boutons in layers 4 and 1, positive for both zinc and vesicular glutamate transporter 2, a protein used by thalamocortical terminations. Finally, in an additional nine rats, we carried out in situ hybridization for zinc transporter 3 mRNA. Moderate signal was detected in VPM and Po at P10, but this disappeared by P28. In contrast, a strong signal was apparent in the anterodorsal nucleus, which projects to limbic areas, and this persisted at P28. The timing of the transient zinc-positive terminations in the sensory thalamus roughly coincides with the onset of exploratory and whisking behavior in the middle of the second postnatal week; and this suggests zinc is important for activity-related refinement of circuitry