The structure and functional organization of several interrelated structures of the basal forebrain and anterior temporal lobe will be studied in the rat and monkey. The structures to be studied include the amygdaloid complex, the largely cholinergic nucleus basalis and diagonal band nuclei, the ventral striatum and pallidum, the olfactory and entorhinal cortices, and other cortical areas of the anterior temporal lobe. However, the major emphasis in this grant period will be on the medial, magnocellular part of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MDm) and the orbital and mesial parts of the frontal cortex, which are tightly interconnected with each other by thalamocortical and corticothalamic fibers, and which both receive inputs from the basal forebrain and anterior temporal lobe. All together, these structures form a complex associative system, which has been implicated in memory processing as well as in forebrain control of visceral mechanisms, and is involved in such neurological disorders as epilepsy, autism and Alzheimer's disease. In order to analyze and correlate the connections between these structures, and especially to analyze the afferent fibers to MDm and the functional subdivisions of the orbital and mesial cortex, several anterograde and retrograde axonal tracers will be used. These include 3H-leucine, phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L), WGA-HRP, and the fluorescent dyes """"""""true blue"""""""", """"""""fast blue"""""""", """"""""diamidino yellow"""""""" and """"""""fluorescent gold"""""""", as well as the """"""""transmitter specific"""""""" tracers 3H-D-aspartate and 3H-GABA. In most cases two or more tracers will be combined, in order to label and compare different fiber systems in a single experiment. In addition, electrophysiological recording of responses to olfactory bulb stimulation will be used to map the olfactory related area of the orbital cortex, and to guide the placement of microinjection of the axonal tracers.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS009518-18
Application #
3393980
Study Section
Communication Sciences and Disorders (CMS)
Project Start
1976-09-01
Project End
1994-03-31
Budget Start
1988-04-01
Budget End
1989-03-31
Support Year
18
Fiscal Year
1988
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
062761671
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130
Ray, J P; Price, J L (1990) Postnatal changes in the density and distribution of neurotensin-like immunoreactive fibers in the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus in the rat. J Comp Neurol 292:269-82
Collins, R C; Carnes, K M; Price, J L (1988) Prefrontal-limbic epilepsy: experimental functional anatomy. J Clin Neurophysiol 5:105-17
Fuller, T A; Price, J L (1988) Putative glutamatergic and/or aspartatergic cells in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs of the rat. J Comp Neurol 276:209-18
Russchen, F T; Amaral, D G; Price, J L (1987) The afferent input to the magnocellular division of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus in the monkey, Macaca fascicularis. J Comp Neurol 256:175-210
Fuller, T A; Russchen, F T; Price, J L (1987) Sources of presumptive glutamergic/aspartergic afferents to the rat ventral striatopallidal region. J Comp Neurol 258:317-38
Friedman, B; Price, J L (1986) Plasticity in the olfactory cortex: age-dependent effects of deafferentation. J Comp Neurol 246:1-19
Price, J L (1986) Subcortical projections from the amygdaloid complex. Adv Exp Med Biol 203:19-33
Friedman, B; Price, J L (1986) Age-dependent cell death in the olfactory cortex: lack of transneuronal degeneration in neonates. J Comp Neurol 246:20-31
Russchen, F T; Amaral, D G; Price, J L (1985) The afferent connections of the substantia innominata in the monkey, Macaca fascicularis. J Comp Neurol 242:1-27
Russchen, F T; Bakst, I; Amaral, D G et al. (1985) The amygdalostriatal projections in the monkey. An anterograde tracing study. Brain Res 329:241-57