The lateral and medial compartments of the olfactory tubercle and their relation to olfactory-related input as determined by artificial neural network.
The current literature indicates that olfactory bulbar input projects throughout layer IA of the entire olfactory tubercle, with apparently more fibres in the lateral part than in the medial part of the tubercle. In addition, olfactory cortical association fibers project to layers IB, II, and III in all regions of the tubercle. This study exploited the phenomenon of transsynaptic transfer of WGA-HRP after injection into the olfactory bulb or rats to explore the degree of olfactory-related input to the tubercle. A computerized image analysis system was employed to quantify the amount of tracer transferred to layer II neurons of the tubercle. Qualitative analysis of the data indicates that the lateral tubercle consists of areas that receive little olfactory-related input. Nonparametric statistical tests and a novel application of artificial neural networks indicate regionally heterogeneous labeling across the tubercle and broad connections between homologous regions of the bulb and tubercle. These results have implications for understanding how olfactory sensory information is integrated into limbic-motor circuits by the olfactory tubercle.
Josephson
E
E
Department of Anatomy and Histology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL 36849-5518, USA.
Padgett
M L
ML
Buxton
D F
DF
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley