Differential modes of termination of amygdalothalamic and amygdalocortical projections in the monkey

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The amygdala complex participates in multiple systems having to do with affective processes. It has been implicated in human disorders of social and emotional behavior, such as autism. Of the interconnected functional networks, considerable research in rodents and primates has focused on connections between the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The amygdala projects to OFC by both a direct amygdalocortical (AC) pathway and an indirect pathway through mediodorsal thalamus. In the rat, retrograde tracer experiments indicate that the AC and amygdalothalamic (AT) pathways originate from separate populations, and may therefore convey distinctive infonnation, although the characteristics of these pathways remain unclear. To investigate this issue in monkeys we made anterograde tracer injections in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLC; n = 3). Three distinctive features were found preferentially associated with the AT or AC pathways. First, AT terminations are large (average diameter = 3.5 mu m; range = 1.2-7.0 mu m) and cluster around proximal dendrites, in contrast with small-bouton AC terminations. Second, AT terminations form small arbors (diameter approximate to 0.1 mm), while AC are widely divergent (often > 1.0 mm long). The AT terminations features are reminiscent of large bouton, "driver" corticothalamic terminations. Finally, AC but not AT terminations are positive for zinc (Zn), a neuromodulator associated with synaptic plasticity. From these results we suggest that AC and AT terminations originate from distinct populations in monkey as well as in rodent. Further work is necessary to determine the degree and manner of their segregation and how these subsystems interact within a broader connectivity network.

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詳細情報 詳細情報について

  • CRID
    1050282812794767872
  • NII論文ID
    120006385752
  • ISSN
    00219967
  • Web Site
    http://id.nii.ac.jp/1586/00013260/
  • 本文言語コード
    en
  • 資料種別
    journal article
  • データソース種別
    • IRDB
    • CiNii Articles

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