Plasticity of intra-amygdaloid connections following the denervation of fibers from accessory olfactory bulb to medial amygdaloid nucleus in adult rat: immunohistochemical study of anterogradely transported lectin (Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin).
The rearrangement of the terminations of intra-amygdaloid fibers was examined in the medial amygdaloid nucleus (MAN) following denervation of the fibers from the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) of adult rat using immunohistochemistry of anterogradely transported lectin (Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin, PHA-L). The AOB was removed unilaterally by suction at two months before the PHA-L injection. The PHA-L was injected bilaterally into the posteromedial region of the amygdala (posteromedial amygdaloid nucleus and amygdala-hippocampal transitional area). After the tissue was processed by the routine immunohistochemical method, the immunologically labeled axons and axon terminals in the MAN were observed with the light microscope. On the control side, labeled axons were observed in the cellular part of the MAN, but they were not found in the molecular layer in which the fibers from the accessory olfactory bulb terminate. On the side of the AOB removal, the labeled axons were found not only in the cellular part but also in the molecular layer. Electron microscopic observations showed that the labeled axon terminals made synaptic contacts in the molecular layer. These results indicate that terminals of intra-amygdaloid fibers expand from the cellular part to the molecular layer in the MAN and make synaptic contacts in this layer following the denervation of the AOB fibers.
Ichikawa
M
M
Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neurosciences, Japan.
D000679:Amygdala / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000818:Animals; D003714:Denervation; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D051381:Rats
D010835:Phytohemagglutinins