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L C Skeen

Publications and source records attributed to L C Skeen.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Neuronal localization of cholecystokinin mRNA in the rat brain by using in situ hybridization histochemistry.

The distribution of cholecystokinin (CCK) mRNA in the rat brain was determined by means of in situ hybridization histochemistry. Our results demonstrate a widespread distribution of neurons containing CCK mRNA throughout the rat brain. Hybridization-positive neurons were distributed throughout the neocortex, olfactory bulb, claustrum, amygdala, the dentate gyrus and hippocampus proper, and several subnuclei of the thalamus and the hypothalamus. The most abundant and most heavily labeled neurons were found in the endopiriform/piriform cortex, tenia tecta, and the ventral tegmental area. The distribution of neurons positive for CCK mRNA paralleled that of CCK-like immunoreactive neurons. These results detail the distribution of CCK mRNA and clearly identify the existence of CCK-synthesizing neurons in regions such as the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus, where the presence of CCK cell bodies was previously uncertain.

Amino Acid Sequence

Neonatal sensory deprivation reduces tufted cell number in mouse olfactory bulbs.

Quantitative morphometric methods were used in mice to study the effect postnatal olfactory deprivation has on tufted cell size and number. The two layers containing tufted cells, the external plexiform and glomerular layers, are considerably smaller in the deprived olfactory bulbs than in the contralateral, experienced olfactory bulbs. While most of this volumetric deficit may be due to an attenuation of synaptogenesis and dendritic elaboration, an additional factor contributing to the reduced volume of these bulbar layers is a substantial loss of tufted cells. Since tufted cells are generated prenatally, their reduced number in the postnatally deprived olfactory bulb is probably a consequence of retarded migration or cell death.

Animals

Effects of early anosmia on two classes of granule cells in developing mouse olfactory bulbs.

Quantitative morphometric methods were used to examine the effects of early unilateral anosmia on two classes of granule cells in developing mouse olfactory bulbs. Volumetric results show that the internal granule cell layer in the deprived olfactory bulb is significantly smaller than the same layer in the experienced olfactory bulb. The major factor contributing to this retarded development is a selective loss of one class of interneurons; dark granule cell number is substantially reduced, while light granule cell number is not. This selective effect appears to be related to the time course of cell proliferation and differentiation and provides clues to the way early experience regulates neural development.

Animals

Patterns of deoxyglucose and glucose labeling in the optic tectum of monocularly stimulated bass.

Uniformly labeled deoxyglucose and glucose were used to examine patterns of altered metabolic activity in the optic tectum of largemouth bass. Autoradiographs from fish which viewed moving vertical stripes with one eye show that the metabolites of the two sugars procedure similar patterns of activity-related labeling in the tectum: tangentially arranged bands of increased optical density through the SFGS and the SGC. In addition, aldehyde fixation was found to improve the histological quality of the sections without altering the patterns of labeling.

Animals

Tangential organization of olfactory, association, and commissural projections to olfactory cortex in a species of reptile (Trionyx spiniferus), bird (Aix sponsa), and mammal (Tupaia glis).

Small amounts of tritiated leucine were injected into the olfactory bulb or anterior olfactory cortex of softshell turtles, wood ducks, and tree shrews in order to compare quantitatively the laminar distribution of olfactory bulb, association, and commissural projections to olfactory cortex. In all three species, a similar colaminar distribution of olfactory and association projections was found: the olfactory projections are restricted to the superficial cortical layer Ia, while the association projections are distributed into the deeper cortical layers Ib, II, and III. Differences among these three species were found in the origin and distribution of commissural projections. Whereas in tree shrews these fibers originate from third-order neurons and project into the deeper layers of the contralateral cortex (with the homolateral olfactory bulb projections), in softshell turtles and wood ducks, they originate from second-order neurons and project into the superficial layer of the contralateral cortex (with the homolateral olfactory bulb projections). These results, in conjunction with those obtained previously in other species, indicate that the basic tangential organization of mammalian olfactory cortex is retained, albeit with some modification, from a remote, reptilian ancestor.

Animals

Olfactory bulb interconnections in soft shell turtle.

Unilateral injections of horseradish peroxidase and radioactive amino acids in the olfactory bulbs of soft shell turtles revealed unique pathways for interbulbar communication. The two olfactory bulbs exchange dendrites and axons directly through their fused external plexiform and internal plexiform laminae.

Animals

Origins of anthropoid intelligence IV. Role of prefrontal system in delayed alternation and spatial reversal learning in a conservative eutherian (Paraechinus hypomelas).

A conservative eutherian mammal (the hedgehog, Paraechinus hypomelas) was tested on delayed alternation performance and spatial reversal learning before and after ablations of the prefrontal cortex. The anatomical results show that the cortical focus of the projections of the medial dorsal nucleus, the prefrontal cortex, does not include the neocortex on the dorsal convexity of the hedgehog's frontal lobe but, instead, the perirhinal and pregenual neocortex immediately surrounding the frontal convexity. The behavioral results show that normal performance of hedgehogs on these two behavioral tests depends upon the integrity of their prefrontal cortex, but not on the integrity of their frontal convexity or olfactory bulbs. The similarity in the results obtained from prefrontal hedgehogs and a divergent variety of other species with prefrontal ablations indicates that the role of the prefrontal system in the abilities measured by these two tests is at least as old as Eutheria and, thus, probably imposed persistent constraints on subsequent evolutionary modifications of the prefrontal system.

Animals

Topographic organization of the orientation column system in the striate cortex of the tree shrew (Tupaia glis). II. Deoxyglucose mapping.

The topographic organization of the orientation column system in the tree shrew striate cortex was examined by using 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography to map the cortical sites of increased metabolic activity produced by visual stimulation with stripes of a single orientation. Awake experimental tree shrews (freely moving, restrained, or paralyzed) were given injections of deoxyglucose label and then stimulated with vertical, horizontal, or oblique stripes for 45--75 min. Autoradiographs of coronal sections through the striate cortex revealed regularly spaced radial zones of increased deoxyglucose uptake 150--350 micrometers wide, extending from the cortical surface to the white matter, separated by interzone regions of lower uptake. The radial zones were most densely labeled and distinct in layers I--IIIb and least distinct in layer IV, which was continuously and densely labeled throughout both the radial zone and interzone regions. These radial zones, which were not present in control animals that viewed many orientations, reflect the locations of cortical cells activated by a single stimulus orientation. Reconstructions of the radial zones from serial sections produced maps of the distribution of increased deoxyglucose uptake across striate cortex. The maps reveal a highly organized system of narrow, parallel bands that are slightly wavy and have a mean spacing of 530 micrometers. The band pattern was confirmed in sections cut tangential to the cortical surface and was similar in animals stimulated with either vertical or horizontal stripes; the bands consistently abut the 17--18 border at nearly right angles and extend across the striate cortex in a generally posteromedial direction. These patterns of increased deoxyglucose consumption confirm the anisotropic distribution of orientation-selective cells across the tree shrew striate cortex, suggested in the preceding microelectrode study (Humphrey and Norton, '80). The density distribution of label within the bands further suggests that the anisotropy is due to a system of parallel, somewhat wavy iso-orientation lines arranged roughly perpendicular to the 17--18 border.

Animals

Efferent projections of the main and the accessory olfactory bulb in the tree shrew (Tupaia glis).

The projections of the main and the accessory olfactory bulb in the tree shrew (Tupaia glis) have been analyzed with anterograde degeneration and autoradiographic methods for identifying axonal projections, and with the horseradish peroxidase method for identifying the distribution of neurons from which these projections originate. The cytoarchitectonic features of the paleocortical areas which receive projections from the main and the accessory olfactory bulb have also been described. The efferent projections of the accessory olfactory bulb are distributed to the bed nucleus of the accessory olfactory tract, the medial amygdaloid area, the posteromedial cortical amygdaloid area, and to the caudal portion of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. In contrast, the efferent projections of the main olfactory bulb are distributed to the anterior olfactory nucleus, the tenia tecta, the olfactory tubercle, the pyriform cortex, the anterior cortical amygdaloid area, the posterolateral cortical amygdaloid area, and to the lateral entorhinal cortex. These observations are consistent with the notion that the olfactory system can be divided into at least two major subsystems: one related to the vomeronasal organ and accessory olfactory bulb, and another related to the main olfactory organ and main olfactory bulb. The paleocortical areas receiving olfactory projections have three basic layers: a superficially positioned plexiform layer (layer I), a pyramidal cell layer (layer II), and a polymorphic cell layer (layer III). The projections of both the main and the accessory olfactory bulb terminate in the outer portion of the plexiform layer (sublamina Ia). Sublamina Ia contains the distal segments of dendrites which originate from a heterogeneous population of neurons located in layer II and, to a lesser extent, layer III. Although the efferent projections of the main and the accessory olfactory bulb are segregated, evidence for a more refined topographical organization within these projections was not obtained. However, the distribution of retrogradely labeled neurons in the main olfactory bulb, following injections of horseradish peroxidase into its various paleocortical targets, indicates that the olfactory projections to these areas may not all originate from the same population of cells.

Amygdala

Origins of anthropoid intelligence. III. Role of prefrontal system in delayed-alternation and spatial-reversal learning in a prosimian (Galago senegalensis).

A species of prosimian (bush baby, Galago senegalensis) was tested on delayed-alternation and spatial-reversal learning before and after ablation of prefrontal cortex. The results show that normal performance on the two behavioral tasks depend on different subdivisions of the MD-prefrontal system. Delayed alternation is disrupted by prefrontal lesions which cause degeneration in the lateral division of MD while spatial-reversal learning is disrupted by lesions causing degeneration of the medial division of MD. Therefore, the bush baby prefrontal system can be subdivided either on behavioral or anatomical grounds into at least two chief parts. Because of several similarities in the MD-prefrontal system of bush baby and monkey despite their remote common ancestry, it can be concluded that the differentiation of the MD-prefrontal system into distinct divisions and the involvement of this system in delayed alternation and spatial reversal are features probably as old as the order Primates itself. It can be further concluded that the further evolution of the anthropoid variety of prefrontal system beyond this common primate stage probably depended on selective pressure on abilities other than those measured here.

Animals

Origins of anthropoid intelligence.

The development of the extrastriate visual system relative to the striate system was estimated indirectly by measuring the volumes of the lateral posteriorpulvinar complex and lateral geniculate nucleus in six varieties of mammals selected on the basis of their propinquity with Anthropoidea [oppossums, hedgehogs, rats, squirrels, tree shrews and bushbabies]. The same animals were tested on two related behavioral tasks [spatial and visual reversal learning] whose successful achievement requires a simple sort of abstraction. The results show that the ability to learn visual reversal, but not spatial reversal, corresponds closely to the relative degree of development of the extrastriate system. Since the variation in both these behavioral and morphological characteristics also parallels the phylogenetic dimension, the recency of common ancestry to anthropoids, the evolutionary origin of the anthropoid capacity for visual abstraction is suggested.

Animals