A comparative light microscopic investigation on geniculo-cortical relay neurons in rat, tree shrew and cat.
The morphology of geniculo-cortical relay neurons (GCR-neurons) of tree shrew, rat and cat differs intraspecifically and interspecifically from each other. Intraspecific differences in the cat have been explained functionally by the W-, X-, and Y-characteristics of cells (Wilson et al. 1976). Analogous morpho-functional correlations may also explain the morphological differences in tree shrew and rat. The interspecific differences in the morphology of GCR-neurons seem to be closely correlated to the levels of visual specialization in the three species in which the rat represents a basal developmental stage.
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014418:Tupaiidae