The vomeronasal cortex – afferent and efferent projections of the posteromedial cortical nucleus of the amygdala in mice

Gutiérrez-Castellanos, Nicolás; Pardo-Bellver, Cecília; Martínez‐Garciá, Fernando; Lanuza, Enrique

doi:10.1111/ejn.12393

Cited by 52 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 99 publications

(159 reference statements)

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“…Previous works have reported basal forebrain projections to the Me (Cadiz-Moretti et al, 2016), the LOT (Grove, 1988) and PMCo (Gutierrez-Castellanos et al, 2014) similar to those described in this work. The projections arising from the diagonal band were previously reported with HRP injections in the Pir (Haberly and Price, 1978b).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Regarding to the vomeronasal amygdala, the CxA received light projections from the PMCo, Me and AAD/AAV, and moderate ones from the BAOT ( Figure 8A ). Similar results were obtained with anterograde injections in the PMCo (Canteras et al, 1992; Gutierrez-Castellanos et al, 2014) and Me (Canteras et al, 1995; Pardo-Bellver et al, 2012), with minor differences regarding to the density of the labeling observed. These differences may be explained in part by the small size of the CxA injections in the present work, as well as different criteria to classify the labeling as moderate or scarce.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…One recent study in rats obtained restricted injections in the CxA (Pro-Sistiaga et al, 2007), but reported only the resulting labeling in the olfactory bulbs. In mice, our laboratory has previously reported the projections from the CxA to the ventral striatum, using both anterograde and retrograde tracing (Novejarque et al, 2011), as well as the connections with the vomeronasal amygdala (medial nucleus: Pardo-Bellver et al, 2012; Cadiz-Moretti et al, 2016; and posteromedial cortical nucleus: Gutierrez-Castellanos et al, 2014). It is important to note that most of the previous neuroanatomical works did not differentiate between the Pir and the CxA, and it is necessary to study their descriptions and illustrations to assign the observed labeling in the ventral part of the Pir (at the appropriate rostrocaudal levels) to what we considered now is the CxA according to the ChAT labeling ( Figure 1 ) and the atlas of Paxinos and Franklin (2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

et al. 2016

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The transitional zone between the ventral part of the piriform cortex and the anterior cortical nucleus of the amygdala, named the cortex-amygdala transition zone (CxA), shows two differential features that allow its identification as a particular structure. First, it receives dense cholinergic and dopaminergic innervations as compared to the adjacent piriform cortex and amygdala, and second, it receives projections from the main and accessory olfactory bulbs. In this work we have studied the pattern of afferent and efferent projections of the CxA, which are mainly unknown, by using the retrograde tracer Fluorogold and the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextranamine. The results show that the CxA receives a relatively restricted set of intratelencephalic connections, originated mainly by the olfactory system and basal forebrain, with minor afferents from the amygdala. The only relevant extratelencephalic afference originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The efferent projections of the CxA reciprocate the inputs from the piriform cortex and olfactory amygdala. In addition, the CxA projects densely to the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus and the olfactory tubercle. The extratelencephalic projections of the CxA are very scarce, and target mainly hypothalamic structures. The pattern of connections of the CxA suggests that it is indeed a transitional area between the piriform cortex and the cortical amygdala. Double labeling with choline acetyltransferase indicates that the afferent projection from the basal forebrain is the origin of its distinctive cholinergic innervation, and double labeling with dopamine transporter shows that the projection from the VTA is the source of dopaminergic innervation. These connectivity and neurochemical features, together with the fact that it receives vomeronasal in addition to olfactory information, suggest that the CxA may be involved in processing olfactory information endowed with relevant biological meaning, such as odors related to reproductive or defensive behaviors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

et al. 2016

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“…Unlike the ventral hippocampus, there was no significant relationship between PMCo 5-HT concentrations and anxiety-like behavior, and we are unaware of any evidence in the literature linking the PMCo to anxiety. Instead, this subregion of the amygdala appears to function primarily in olfactory signal integration (Gutierrez-Castellanos et al, 2014), with a role in directing appropriate chemosensory investigation behavior during rodent reproductive interactions (Maras and Petrulis, 2008). Thus, it appears most likely that increased anxiety-like behavior in 5,7-DHT treated rats was mediated by the ventral hippocampus and not the PMCo.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serotonin in the ventral hippocampus modulates anxiety-like behavior during amphetamine withdrawal

Tu¹,

Cook²,

Scholl³

et al. 2014

Neuroscience

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Withdrawal from amphetamine is associated with increased anxiety and sensitivity to stressors which are thought to contribute to relapse. Rats undergoing amphetamine withdrawal fail to exhibit stress-induced increases in serotonin (5-HT) release in the ventral hippocampus and show heightened anxiety-like behaviors. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that reduced 5-HT levels in the ventral hippocampus is a causal mechanism in increasing anxiety-like behaviors during amphetamine withdrawal. First, we tested whether reducing 5-HT levels in the ventral hippocampus directly increases anxiety behavior. Male rats were bilaterally infused with 5,7-DHT into the ventral hippocampus, which produced a 83% decrease ventral hippocampus 5-HT content, and were tested on the elevated plus maze (EPM) for anxiety-like behavior. Reducing ventral hippocampus 5-HT levels decreased the time spent in the open arms of the maze, suggesting diminished ventral hippocampus 5-HT levels increases anxiety-like behavior. Next, we tested whether increasing 5-HT levels in the ventral hippocampus reverses anxiety behavior exhibited by rats undergoing amphetamine withdrawal. Rats were treated daily with either amphetamine (2.5 mg/kg, ip.) or saline for 2 weeks, and at 2 weeks withdrawal, were infused with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine (0.5 μM) bilaterally into the ventral hippocampus and tested for anxiety-like behavior on the EPM. Rats pre-treated with amphetamine exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior on the EPM. This effect was reversed by ventral hippocampus infusion of paroxetine. Our results suggest that 5-HT levels in the ventral hippocampus is critical for regulating anxiety behavior. Increasing 5-HT levels during withdrawal may be an effective strategy for reducing anxiety-induced drug relapse.

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“…The NS of reptiles in total is considered homologous to the posterior medial cortical nucleus of the amygdala in rodents-a secondary vomeronasal center that is part of the vomeronasal amygdala (Gutiérrez-Castellanos et al, 2014;MartinezGarcía et al, 2002). The posterior cortical nucleus of the amygdala in female prairie (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow (M. pennsylvanicus) voles expresses adult neurogenesis colocalized with estrogen receptor-α (Fowler et al, 2005), and neurogenesis increases in response to exposure to conspecific males (Fowler et al, 2002).…”

Section: Olfactory and Chemosensory Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proliferation, Migration, and Survival of Cells in the Telencephalon of the Ball Python, Python Regius

Bales¹

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The vomeronasal cortex – afferent and efferent projections of the posteromedial cortical nucleus of the amygdala in mice

Cited by 52 publications

References 99 publications

Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice

Serotonin in the ventral hippocampus modulates anxiety-like behavior during amphetamine withdrawal

Proliferation, Migration, and Survival of Cells in the Telencephalon of the Ball Python, Python Regius

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