A comparison of the diencephalic and subcortical telencephalic areas of the brain of Felis jaguarondi and Felis domestica.
The gross topographic features of a freshly prepared brain of the Felis jaguarondi (yagouaroundi) indigenous to Central and South America but rare in North America, was compared with an endocast from the Philippine F. minuta (bengalensis) and brains of the American F. domestica (catus). The F. jaguarondi and domestica brains were essentially the same, the former being slightly longer, while that of the F. minuta is smaller. The brain of the jaguarondi was then embedded in celloidin for microscopic study and compared with that of F. domestica. No significant differences were found in nuclei or principal myelinated fiber tracts of the medulla, pons, mesencephalon or cerebellum. There were differences, however, in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LG) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). The LG of the jaguarondi has an S-shaped configuration compared to the comma-shaped configuration in the domestic cat. Planimetry revealed that the LG of the jaguarondi was approximately two and a half times as large as that of F. domestica. The laminar organization and cellular discontinuities were similar. The BST of jaguarondi differed from that of F. domestica in its orientation and cellular organization. The BST of the jaguarondi is divided in two or three parts (depending on the level) by fascicles of the stria terminalis. Other details of the nuclear differences and their possible significance are discussed. This is the only account of the subcortical areas of the brain of F. jaguarondi known to the authors.
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004027:Diencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013687:Telencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology*