title: Efferent connections of the parabigeminal nucleus to the amygdala and the superior colliculus in the rat: a double-labeling fluorescent retrograde tracing study.
abstract: The parabigeminal nucleus (Pbg) is a subcortical visual center that besides reciprocal connections with the superior colliculus (SC), also projects to the amygdala (Am). The Pbg-Am connection is part of a multineuronal pathway that conveys extrageniculostriate inputs of the retina to the Am, and it rapidly responds to the sources of threat before conscious detection. The present study demonstrates that Pbg projects bilaterally to Am and SC. The ipsilateral projections arise from separate cell populations, whilst the contralaterally projecting Pbg neurons emit branching axons that simultaneously innervate Am and SC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, Sofia 1431, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Kamen G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Usunoff
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: Dimitar E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Itzev
authors.forename: Arndt
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rolfs
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wree
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D003336:Tectum Mesencephali / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes