The prefrontal cortex in the Göttingen minipig brain defined by neural projection criteria and cytoarchitecture
- 作者：Jacob Jelsing ; Anders Hay-Schmidt ; Tim Dyrby ; Ralf Hemmingsen ; Harry B.M. Uylings and Bente Pakkenberg
- 关键词：Cytoarchitecture ; Manganese ; MRI ; Neuron tracing ; Stereology ; Volume
- 刊名：Brain Research Bulletin
- 出版年：2006
- 期刊代码：9_03619230
- 类别：neu
- 出版时间：16 October 2006
- 卷：70
- 期：4-6
- 页码：322-336
- 文件大小：2739 K
摘要
In an attempt to delineate the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the Göttingen minipig brain the distribution of reciprocal thalamocortical projections was investigated using anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques and evaluated in relation to the specific cytoarchitectonic organization. Tracers were visualized using standard immunohistochemistry or evaluated in vivo using manganese (Mn2+) as an MRI paramagnetic tracer. The in vivo tract tracing turned out to be very sensitive with a high correspondence to the histological labelling. Tracers injected into the mediodorsal thalamus labelled the medial and rostral pole of the frontal lobe as well as the anterior cingulate, anterior insular and dorsomedial frontal cortices. Subsequently, the reciprocity and specificity of these connections were tested from injections into the traced frontal cortices indicating that the PFC has cortical connections to different parts of the MD nucleus. Although the granular layer IV, characteristic of primate PFC could not be identified, both cytoarchitectonic and connectional data suggests that the Göttingen minipig has a structurally divided prefrontal cortex. Stereological estimates of PFC volume showed that the Göttingen minipig PFC constitutes about 24%of the total neocortex volume and 10%of the total brain volume.