Cytoarchitectonic development of the prefrontal cortex in the rat

Abstract

This paper gives an account of the cytoarchitectonic characteristics that make it possible to delineate, from as early as day 6, different subareas of the prefrontal cortex of the rat. Three phases can be distinguished during postnatal development. The first phase (from day 1 until day 18) is dominated by differentiation of the neurons within the cortical plate and by the formation of the cortical layers. At day 1, regional differences are observed in the cytoarchitecture of the cortical plate which correspond to the future subareas of the prefrontal cortex. The formation of layer IV occurs in the dorsolateral cortex around day 6, and from this age the agranular prefrontal cortex is well demarcated from the other parts of the frontal cortex. Between day 6 and day 10, the cortical plate has disappeared and all cortical layers can be recognized in the prefrontal cortex. Differentiation of the cells within the cortical layers changes the cytoarchitectonic character of the layers through day 18. During the second phase (from day 18 until day 30) little change occurs in the cytoarchitectonic characteristics of the prefrontal subareas. During the third phase (from day 30 until day 90) the delineation of the cortical layers becomes less clear in Nissl-stained sections, and the individual cytoarchitectonic variance increases. On the basis of cytoarchitectonic criteria it can be concluded that the orbital prefrontal cortex develops earlier than does the medial prefrontal cortex.

Stress during a Critical Postnatal Period Induces Region-Specific Structural Abnormalities and Dysfunction of the Prefrontal Cortex via CRF1

“…Our findings that early postnatal stress lastingly impairs structural plasticity of ACd layer V neurons may therefore have clinical relevance. However, because of interspecies differences in the anatomical and functional organizations and postnatal development of PFC (Uylings et al, 2003;Van Eden and Uylings, 1985), the translation of these findings to clinical situations is challenging. Further studies in non-human primates are warranted to validate our data and evaluate the therapeutic potential of CRF 1 antagonists in early-life stressinduced prefrontal abnormalities.…”

“…During this critical developmental period, the lamination of mPFC is yet to be completed (Van Eden and Uylings, 1985). Dopaminergic fibers and afferents from the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus and amygdala invade the layers of mPFC and increase in density (Kalsbeek et al, 1988;Van Eden, 1986;Verwer et al, 1996).…”

Cholinergic Control in Developing Prefrontal–Hippocampal Networks

“…The recording sites were separated by 50 or 100 m in vertical direction. The recording sites covered in the PFC the anatomical subdivisions cingulate cortex (Cg) and prelimbic cortex (PL) (Van Eden and Uylings, 1985) and in the intermediate Hipp the CA1 region (see Figs. 2 A, 4D).…”

Electroconvulsive Seizure Treatment Increases Cell Proliferation in Rat Frontal Cortex

“…The definition of the mPFC in rat is based on several criteria including connectional, cytoarchitectural, neurochemical, and functional considerations (Van Eden and Uylings, 1985;Uylings et al, 2003). The caudal two-thirds of the mPFC was chosen for analysis because it contains regions implicated in human depression and because it also provides large reference spaces that can be unambiguously defined.…”