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L Heimer

Publications and source records attributed to L Heimer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Cholecystokinin innervation of the ventral striatum: a morphological and radioimmunological study.

Immunocytochemistry, radioimmunological assay after surgical cuts, anterograde degeneration and retrograde tracing of fluorescent dyes were used in order to elucidate the cholecystokinin-containing afferents to the ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle and ventral part of the caudate-putamen). In agreement with the report by Hökfelt et al., midbrain cholecystokinin-containing cells supply the posteromedial parts of the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, as well as the subcommissural part of caudate-putamen. Brainstem cholecystokinin afferents also reach more rostral parts of the ventral striatum including the rostrolateral olfactory tubercle. The ascending cholecystokinin axons enter the medial forebrain bundle at the meso-diencephalic border and maintain a rough medial to lateral topography at the caudal diencephalon. A second major cholecystokinin pathway, with possible origin in the piriform and medial prefrontal cortices and/or the amygdala, projects to the subcommissural caudate-putamen, the olfactory tubercle, the lateral part of the nucleus accumbens and the dorsal part of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Finally, the rostral part of the dorsal caudate-putamen receives a substantial cholecystokinin innervation from the basolateral amygdala and possibly from the neocortex. According to radioimmunological data, the descending telencephalic cholecystokinin system accounts for about 60% of all cholecystokinin in the rostral forebrain. The combined use of morphological and biochemical methods provided evidence for a partially overlapping distribution and possible interaction between an ascending brainstem and descending telencephalic cholecystokinin fiber systems within the striatum and related rostral forebrain areas.

Animals↗

Ultrastructural evidence of amygdalofugal axons terminating on cholinergic cells of the rostral forebrain.

In the present study a double-label ultrastructural procedure was used to study amygdalofugal fibers contacting cholinergic cells of the rostral forebrain. Following horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injections into the basolateral amygdala, anterogradely transported HRP was detected in axon terminals contacting the dendrites of choline acetyltransferase-containing cells in the ventral pallidum.

Amygdala↗

Cell configurations in the olfactory tubercle of the rat.

The rat olfactory tubercle was studied with the rapid Golgi method. Several distinct cell types were identified mainly on the basis of the size of their somata and the structure of their dendrites. The commonest neuron type in the tubercle is the medium-sized densely spined cell. The somata of these neurons occur chiefly in the dense cell and multiform layers. They also form the cell bridges that directly link the olfactory tubercle with the nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen. Their dendritic trees exhibit a variety of shapes; some of them are spherical, some are bipolar, and others are asymmetrical. The axons project dorsally, deep into the multiform layer. En route they give off numerous collaterals. A large version of this cell type is the crescent cell. Other medium-sized neurons also have somata in the dense cell and multiform layers. They include the spindle cells, so named because of the shape of their cell bodies, and the medium-sized spine-poor neurons. Neither of these cell types has dendritic trees that are as highly branched as those of the medium-sized densely spined cells. There are three types of small cells; their somata occur primarily in the dense cell and molecular layers. The dwarf cells are near the pial surface, although their somata are included in the dense cell layer, and they have axons that resemble those of medium-sized densely spined cells. The radiate cells have numerous, relatively short, spine-free dendrites that extend out from the rounded somata in all directions. The small spine-rich cells look like miniature versions of the medium-sized densely spined neurons. They are frequently confined to the molecular layer. Large spine-poor neurons, with their cell bodies located in the dense cell and multiform layers, seem to be a heterogeneous cell group since there are subtle variations in the structure of their dendrites and the shape and extent of their dendritic trees. The large, moderately spined neurons are less common than the other large cells; their somata are found in all three layers. The granule cells of the islands of Calleja make up the most homogeneous cell group. They have only a few dendrites, and these are quite thin. Except for the medium-sized densely spined and dwarf cells, the axons of the different cell types were not very well impregnated. The different cell types in the tubercle are compared to cells in the nucleus accumbens, caudate-putamen, and globus pallidus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Brainstem projection to the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus in the rat: a CCK-containing long ascending pathway.

In order to identify the source and topography of cholecystokinin-containing fibers innervating the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMN), radioimmunoassay, immunocytochemistry, retrograde tracing of horseradish peroxidase and anterograde degeneration techniques were used. Cholecystokinin (CCK) disappeared almost totally from the VMN following a caudal diencephalic knife cut, which transected the medial fibers of the internal capsule, and the dorsolateral portion of the medial forebrain bundle at the level of the mammillary body. A number of cells in the ipsilateral dorsal parabrachial nucleus, furthermore, showed intense CCK-like immunoreactivity. The ascending CCK-containing fibers in the lateral part of the medial forebrain bundle reach the VMN from the lateral side. Neither the fibers of the stria terminalis, nor of the medial corticohypothalamic tract seem to carry any significant amount of CCK to the VMN.

Afferent Pathways↗

Quantitative determination of collateral anterior olfactory nucleus projections using a fluorescent tracer with an algebraic solution to the problem of double retrograde labeling.

The bilateral projections of the rat anterior olfactory nucleus (AON) were evaluated using retrograde fluorescent tracers. Competitive effects of these tracers led to severe underestimation of bilaterally projecting neurons, when double-labeled cells were counted. The underestimate was corrected using a numerical approach, which is of general utility for problems in double labeling and requires only a single tracer. With this method we estimated that approximately 63% of AON neurons project bilaterally to the olfactory bulbs, except for the external part which projects exclusively to the contralateral olfactory bulb. No other AON neurons project only to the contralateral bulb.

Animals↗

An algebraic approach to the detection of multiple markers in complex neuronal systems.

An important class of neuroanatomical problems requires identification of neurons that contain two or more substances. Based on the additivity of neuronal elements that are independently labeled, a simple numerical approach may be applied to these problems. This approach provides a sensitive and viable alternative to direct multiple labeling of endogenous or transported neuronal markers.

Animals↗

The ventral pallidal projection to the mediodorsal thalamus: a study with fluorescent retrograde tracers and immunohistofluorescence.

We have examined rat basal forebrain projections to the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) by making injections of retrogradely transported fluorescent tracers into the MD. Additionally, in some animals, we also stained sections for glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique. Our results demonstrate that the following basal forebrain areas project to the MD: lateral orbital cortex, agranular insular cortex superficial to claustrum, primary olfactory cortex, diagonal band nuclei, ventral pallidum, and amygdala. A large number of labeled cells are present in the olfactory tubercle, and these cells are almost without exception located in dense GAD-positive ventral pallidal areas rather than in striatal regions of the tubercle. This ventral pallidal projection to the MD strengthens the concept of a ventral striatal-pallidal system in parallel to the classic striatal-pallidal system which projects to the ventral thalamus. These results are also discussed in relationship to the olfactory system.

4-Acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfo↗

Tracing of two-neuron pathways in the olfactory system by the aid of transneuronal degeneration: projections to the amygdaloid body and hippocampal formation.

Following an olfactory bulb lesion in guinea pig (2 to 3 days), neuronal degeneration occurs in several olfactory-bulb-related areas, primarily in the piriform cortex. The degenerating neurons, which are argyrophilic, are also found in the posterolateral cortical amygdaloid nucleus and the ventrolateral entorhinal cortex. It is suggested that the neurons degenerate because of a transneuronal effect due to a sudden loss of afferent input from the olfactory bulb, although a retrograde effect acting in concert with transneuronal factors cannot be excluded. Terminal degeneration can be identified in several areas outside the olfactory bulb projection area, and is interpreted as degeneration in the axons of the degenerating cortical neurons. Such terminal degeneration, which is best seen 3 to 4 days postoperatively, has been identified in part of the basolateral amygdaloid complex, in the basomedial amygdaloid nucleus, and in the temporal parts of the fascia dentata of the hippocampal formation. Terminal degeneration has also been observed in the deep layers of the anterior olfactory nucleus, the olfactory tubercle, the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract, and the anterior amygdaloid area. All these projections, apparently, represent the second link in two-neuron pathways, where mitral or tufted cells in the olfactory bulb make up the first neuron. This interpretation was confirmed in control experiments in which areas of argyrophilic neurons coincided with the location of retrogradely labeled neurons following injection of fluorescent substances into several of the above-mentioned areas of terminal degeneration.

Afferent Pathways↗

The globus pallidus and its rostroventral extension into the olfactory tubercle of the rat: a cyto- and chemoarchitectural study.

The globus pallidus is characterized by a high iron content and the distribution of the ferric iron in the rat brain provides evidence that globus pallidus extends rostroventrally below the anterior commissure and into the olfactory tubercle. The extension of the globus pallidus into the olfactory tubercle is consistent with the notion of the ventral striatum,14 in the sense that it provides for an expected close proximity between the striatum and the globus pallidus throughout the dorsoventral extent of the corpus striatum. The distribution of enkephalin, and of acetylcholinesterase- and succinate dehydrogenase-positive neurons is also consistent with an extension of the ventral part of globus pallidus to the base of the forebrain in the rat. Since part of the ventral pallidum corresponds to a region that is usually referred to as the subcommissural part of the substantia innominata, it seems reasonable to restrict the term substantia innominata to the more caudally-located sublenticular part of the substantia innominata.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Morphology and ultrastructure of anterior thalamic neurons solidly labeled with horseradish peroxidase.

'Golgi-like' labeling of anterior thalamic neurons was achieved by injecting horseradish peroxidase dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) into the striatum of the rabbit. Forty-eight hours after injection, elements of the presumed thalamocortical population of anterior thalamic neurons are diffused filled with HRP to the extent that their dendritic arborizations, and even spinous processes, can be readily characterized. Ultrastructurally, these solidly labeled thalamic neurons are seen to contain large, irregular electron dense granules dispersed within a moderately electron dense cytoplasm.

Animals↗

Double and triple labeling of neurons with fluorescent substances; the study of collateral pathways in the ascending raphe system.

A retrograde labeling procedure utilizing fluorescent substances (Granular Blue, Nuclear Yellow and propidium iodide) was used to establish the presence of branching axons in the ascending raphe system of young rats. After injections in septum, medial thalamus and olfactory cortex, the number of double-labeled cells in various combinations was found to be relatively large in the dorsal raphe nucleus, whereas triple-labeled cells occurred more rarely. Each class of neurons, i.e. single-, double- and triple-labeled, were shown to have a predominant distribution within specific parts of the nucleus.

Animals↗

The afferent connections of the main and the accessory olfactory bulb formations in the rat: an experimental HRP-study.

The afferent connections of the main and accessory olfactory bulbs in the rat were examined by injecting horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into one or the other of these structures either by microelectrophoresis or by hydraulic pressure. Alternate sections were stained with newly developed HRP-procedures using either benzidine dihydrochloride (de Olmos and Heimer, '77) or tetramethyl-benzidine. Eighteen to twenty-four hours after unilateral HRP injections confined to the main olfactory bulb, a large number of HRP-labeled perikaria appeared in the following telencephalic structures on the ipsilateral side: All portions of the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON) except its external part, the lateral transitional field (LT) between AON and the paleocortex, the whole extent of the primary olfactory cortex (POC); the medial forebrain bundle area deep to the olfactory tubercle, the nucleus of the horizontal limb of the diagonal band (NHDB) and the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract (NLOT). A moderate to small number of labeled cells, furthermore, were seen in the dorsal (DT) and medial (MT) transition fields, the ventral praecommissural hippocampus (tt2), the ventral superficial part of the nucleus of the vertical limb of the diagonal band (NVDB), the sublenticular part of the substantia innominata (SI), the anterior amygdaloid area, the posterolateral cortical amygdaloid nucleus (C2) and the transition region (28 L') between the olfactory cortex and the lateral entorhinal area proper. On the contralateral side a large number of labeled cells were found in all parts of the AON, with especially heavy labeling in its external part. A moderate number of labeled cells could also be detected in the lateral transition field (LT) and the NLOT. In the diencephalon and the brain stem a moderate number of HRP-labeled perikaria were observed in the dorsal, perifornical, and lateral hypothalamus, as well as in locus coeruleus and the dorsal and medial raphae nuclei. Following large HRP injections in the main olfactory bulb a moderate to small number of labeled cells were seen also in the posterior and premammillary hypothalamus and in field CA1 of the retrocommissural hippocampus on the ipsilateral side, as well as in POC on the contralateral side. It is possible, however, that the uptake of label took place in an undetected pool of HRP in the very rostal part of AON rather than in the olfactory bulb. HRP injections in the accessory olfactory bulb resulted in labeled neurons in the posterior ventro-lateral part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the nucleus of the accessory olfactory tract, the rostrodorsal portions of the medial amygdaloid nucleus, and the whole extent of the posteromedial cortical amygdaloid nucleus (C3) on the ipsilateral side. A few lightly labeled cells were seen also in the contralateral C3.

Amygdala↗