Regional differences in normally occurring cell death in the developing hamster lateral geniculate nuclei.
Normal cellular degeneration occurs in the lateral geniculate nuclei (LGN) of the hamster thalamus early in postnatal development. Degenerative debris can be observed in the ventral and dorsal nuclei at postnatal days 2-10 and is present in greater and more variable amounts in the ventral nucleus. Cell degeneration in the dorsal LGN is maximal at postnatal day 5, identical to the degeneration pattern of the hamster retina and superior colliculus, but shows a second peak at postnatal day 8 which may relate to the establishment of cortical connectivity. The incidence of degenerative debris is significantly higher in the peripheral margins of the dorsal nucleus, a pattern also seen in the retina and the superior colliculus, suggesting that a differential cell death may be involved in the formation of regional specializations in the visual system.
D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D006224:Cricetinae; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D008647:Mesocricetus; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000254:growth & development