title: Topographic mapping between basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and the medial prefrontal cortex in mice.
abstract: The basal forebrain cholinergic innervation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is crucial for cognitive performance. However, little is known about the organization of connectivity between the basal forebrain and the mPFC in the mouse. Using focal virus injections inducing Cre-dependent enhanced yellow fluorescent protein expression in ChAT-IRES-Cre mice, we tested the hypothesis that there is a topographic mapping between the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and their axonal projections to the mPFC. We found that ascending cholinergic fibers to the mPFC follow four pathways and that cholinergic neurons take these routes depending on their location in the basal forebrain. In addition, a general mapping pattern was observed in which the position of cholinergic neurons measured along a rostral to caudal extent in the basal forebrain correlated with a ventral to dorsal and a rostral to caudal shift of cholinergic fiber distribution in mPFC. Finally, we found that neurons in the rostral and caudal parts of the basal forebrain differentially innervate the superficial and deep layers of the ventral regions of the mPFC. Thus, a frontocaudal organization of the cholinergic system exists in which distinct mPFC areas and cortical layers are targeted depending on the location of the cholinergic neuron in the basal forebrain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bloem
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Vrije University Medical Center, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schoppink
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and.
authors.forename: Diana C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Rotaru
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and.
authors.forename: Amu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hendriks
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and.
authors.forename: Huibert D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Mansvelder
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Vrije University Medical Center, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wilma D J
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: van de Berg
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Vrije University Medical Center, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands fg.wouterlood@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Floris G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Wouterlood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D066187:Basal Forebrain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D059329:Cholinergic Neurons; D051379:Mice; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology; D056347:Neuroanatomical Tract-Tracing Techniques; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology*
keywords: ChAT-IRES-Cre mouse; basal forebrain; cholinergic system; prefrontal cortex; stereology; tracing