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Connectional and neurochemical subdivisions of the pulvinar in Cebus monkeys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2001

JULIANA G.M. SOARES ,
RICARDO GATTASS ,
AGLAI P.B. SOUZA ,
MARCELLO G.P. ROSA ,
MÁRIO FIORANI  and
BRUNO L. BRANDÃO
JULIANA G.M. SOARES
Affiliation:
Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Brazil
RICARDO GATTASS
Affiliation:
Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Brazil
AGLAI P.B. SOUZA
Affiliation:
Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Brazil
MARCELLO G.P. ROSA
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
MÁRIO FIORANI
Affiliation:
Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Brazil
BRUNO L. BRANDÃO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Brazil
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Abstract

Based on cytoarchitectonic criteria, the primate pulvinar nucleus has been subdivided into medial (PM), lateral (PL), and inferior (PI) regions. However, these subdivisions show no correlation with those established by electrophysiological, immunocytochemical, or neuroanatomical tracer studies. In this work, we studied the connections of the pulvinar nucleus of Cebus monkey with visual areas V1, V2, V4, MT, and PO by means of retrograde fluorescent tracers injected into these areas. Based on the projection zones to cortical visual areas, the visual portion of the pulvinar of Cebus monkey was subdivided into three subregions: P1, P2, and P3, similar to those described in the macaque (Ungerleider et al., 1984). In Cebus, P1 includes the centrolateral portion of traditionally defined PI and adjacent portion of PL. P2 is located in the dorsal portion of PL and P3 includes the medial portion of PI and extends dorsally into adjacent PL and PM. In addition, we studied the histology of the pulvinar using multiple criteria, such as cytoarchitecture and myeloarchitecture; histochemistry for cytochrome oxidase, NADPH-diaphorase, and acetylcholinesterase; and immunocytochemistry for two calcium-binding proteins, calbindin and parvalbumin, and for a neurofilament recognized by the SMI-32 antibody. Some of these stains, mainly calbindin, showed additional subdivisions of the Cebus pulvinar, beyond the traditional PI, PL, and PM. Based on this immunohistochemical staining, the border of PI is moved dorsally above the brachium of the superior colliculus and PI can be subdivided in five regions (PIP, PIM, PIC, PIL, and PILS). Regions P1, P2, and P3 defined based on efferent connections with cortical visual areas are not architectonically/neurochemically homogeneous. Rather they appear to consist of further chemoarchitectonic subdivisions. These distinct histochemical regions might be related to different functional modules of visual processing within one connectional area.

Keywords

PrimateVisual systemThalamusConnectionsCalcium-binding proteins
Type
Research Article
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , January 2001 , pp. 25 - 41
Copyright
2001 Cambridge University Press

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