The basal ganglia and thalamus of the long-tailed macaque in stereotaxic coordinates. A template atlas based on coronal, sagittal and horizontal brain sections

Abstract

A stereotaxic brain atlas of the basal ganglia and thalamus of Macaca fascicularis presented here is designed with a surgical perspective. In this regard, all coordinates have been referenced to a line linking the anterior and posterior commissures (ac–pc line) and considering the center of the ac at the midline as the origin of the bicommissural space. The atlas comprises of 43 different plates (19 coronal levels, 10 sagittal levels and 14 horizontal levels). In addition to ‘classical’ cyto- and chemoarchitectural techniques such as the Nissl method and the acetylcholinesterase stain, several immunohistochemical stains have been performed in adjacent sections, including the detection of tyrosine hydroxylase, enkephalin, neurofilaments, parvalbumin and calbindin. In comparison to other existing stereotaxic atlases for M. fasicularis, this atlas has two main advantages: firstly, brain cartography is based on a wide variety of cyto- and chemoarchitectural stains carried out on adjacent sections, therefore enabling accurate segmentation. Secondly and most importantly, sagittal and horizontal planes are included. Sagittal planes are very useful for calculating oblique trajectories, whereas, clinical researchers engaged in neuroimaging studies will be more familiar with horizontal sections, as they use horizontal (also called “axial”) brain images in their daily routine of their clinical practices.

Anatomical localization of Cav3.1 calcium channels and electrophysiological effects of T-type calcium channel blockade in the motor thalamus of MPTP-treated monkeys

“…Digital representations of the slides were then saved and later analyzed using the ImageScope software (Aperio Technologies). The borders between the basal ganglia-and cerebellar-receiving territories of the ventral motor nuclei were delineated using adjacent Nissl-stained sections (1 section out of 6) combined with drawings of corresponding levels from two rhesus monkey brain stereotaxic atlases (Lanciego and Vazquez 2012;Paxinos et al 1999). In addition, one out of six sections was immunostained for the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 to confirm further the border of the cerebellar-receiving region of the ventrolateral nucleus of the thalamus (Kuramoto et al 2011;Villalba et al 2006).…”

“…The sections were then placed in propylene oxide for 30 min and subsequently embedded in epoxy resin (FLUKA Durcupan ACM; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) for 24 h. Lastly, the sections were mounted on microscope slides, dabbed with epoxy resin, covered with mineral oil-coated coverslips, and put in the oven at 60°C for 48 h to cure the resin. After resin polymerization, the coverslips were taken off, and small blocks of tissue from the basal ganglia-receiving area of the thalamus, as defined in two different stereotaxic atlases (Lanciego and Vazquez 2012;Paxinos et al 1999), were cut from the slides and glued onto resin blocks with cyanoacrylate glue. The blocks were cut into serial 60 nm-thick ultrathin sections using a diamond knife ultramicrotome (Ultracut T2; Leica, Nussloch, Germany) and collected on single-slot, Pioloformcoated copper grids.…”

“…A series of sections containing the motor thalamus was stained for Nissl substance to visualize electrode penetrations and to localize the borders of the thalamus. Based on the Nissl staining, the atlas of the macaque thalamus (Lanciego and Vazquez 2012), and depth readings obtained during the injectrode recording sessions, individual recording sites were verified to be located in the basal ganglia-receiving area of the ventral thalamus. This region is subdivided into the ventral anterior nucleus parvocellularis and magnocellularis (VApc and VAmc, respectively), corresponding, respectively, to the areas receiving information from the pallidum and the SN reticulata (SNr; see Fig.…”

“…Examples of immunolabeling to reveal tyrosine hydroxylase in the basal ganglia of a normal monkey (A) and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated monkey (B; monkey C in this study). In both cases, a coronal section, corresponding to the anterior commissure (AC) 7.7-mm plane in the macaque atlas by Lanciego and Vazquez (2012), is shown. CN, caudate nucleus; Put, putamen; SN, substantia nigra.…”

“…Table 1 shows the number of recorded cells in the two states. We compared electrophysiological parameters of the baseline activity of 50 neurons recorded in the normal state with 40 neurons recorded in the Parkinsonian state in the basal ganglia-receiving nuclei of the ventral motor thalamus [i.e., the VApc and VAmc (Lanciego and Vazquez 2012) ; Fig. 4].…”