title: Cortical and subcortical connections of the pars compacta of the anterior pretectal nucleus in the rat.
abstract: The efferent and afferent connections of the dorsal part of the anterior pretectal nucleus, pars compacta (APc), were studied experimentally in the rat by using neurotracers. A restricted number of structures supply afferents to the anterior pretectal nucleus: the visual cortex (areas 17, 18 and 18a), ventral lateral geniculate nucleus and superficial layers of the superior colliculus. Additional afferents have been demonstrated originating from the Darkschewitsch nucleus, periaqueductal gray, zona incerta and anterior cingulate cortex. Efferent fibers are distributed to a sector of the deep mesencephalic nucleus just dorsolateral to the red nucleus, the basilar pontine gray, posterior and olivary pretectal nuclei, superficial layers of the superior colliculus, lateral posterior thalamic nucleus, ventral lateral geniculate nucleus and zona incerta. These anatomical observations indicate that the pars compacta of the anterior pretectal nucleus is closely related to visual centers, suggesting an involvement of this nucleus in visually mediated behavior.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie, CNRS: URA 290, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cadusseau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roger
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004027:Diencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D051381:Rats; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins
chemical_list: D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase