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Biomedical subjects

A Burkhalter

Publications and source records attributed to A Burkhalter.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Organization of the afferent projections to the Wulst in the pigeon.

The afferent connections to the Wulst, a well-defined bulge in the forebrain roof, were studied in the pigeon. Cells of origin were identified by horseradish peroxidase retrograde tracing, after placing multiple injections in the Wulst. The results demonstrate a bilateral intratelencephalic pathway arising from the archistriatum intermedium (Ai) in the basal forebrain. Labeled cells in n. superficialis parvocellularis (SPC) and n. dorsolateralis posterior (DLP) on both sides of the brain, provide anatomical evidence for a bilateral forebrain projection of the somatosensory thalamus. A sparse ipsilateral input of unknown function from the medial thalamus originates in n. dorsomedialis anterior (DMA) and n. dorsolateralis medialis (DLM). We provide confirming evidence of the bilateral thalamofugal visual pathway ascending from nuclei of the dorsolateral thalamus (DLAmc and DLL). Projections from several brainstem structures are described, including: griseum centrale (GCt), medial and lateral reticular formation (FRM and FRL), area ventralis of Tsai (AVT), n. annularis (Anl), locus coeruleus (LoC), and the avian homologue of the raphe nucleus, n. linearis caudalis (LC). The account provides a direct anatomical demonstration of a Wulst input from the basal forebrain, the somatosensory thalamus, and the brainstem. The projection cells in the brainstem reside in structures known to contribute to ascending catecholaminergic and serotoninergic pathways.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1983

[3H]-GABA selective retrograde labeling of neurons in the pigeon thalamo-Wulst pathway.

Evidence is presented which is consistent with a specific retrograde labeling of GABAergic neurons following [3H]-GABA application in their zone of termination. [3H]-GABA injection in the pigeon Wulst leads to perikaryal retrograde labeling in the ipsilateral thalamic visual relay, n. dorsolateralis anterior thalami, pars lateralis (DLLv). This result gives further support to the biochemical evidence of the existence, in the pigeon, of a GABAergic projection from DLLv to the ipsilateral visual Wulst.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Effects of early monocular deprivation on choline acetyltransferase and glutamic acid decarboxylase in pigeon visual Wulst.

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activities were measured in various visual structures of the pigeon brain after long-term monocular deprivation followed by short-term binocular presence or absence of light stimulation. The short-term phase (45 min) was coupled with a 2-deoxyglucose experiment in order to select the adequate brain samples. After mononuclear deprivation during the first 6-11 months, ChAT activity was higher by 40-60% in the dorsolateral visual Wulst contralateral to the deprived eye, as compared to the other side. In the same structure, animals, either monocularly deprived or undeprived and exposed binocularly to environmental light for 45 min, had higher ChAT activities on both sides than those maintained in the dark. Mononuclear deprivation performed in adult animals did not affect the ChAT activity in visual Wulst. GAD activity was bilaterally decreased in the visual Wulst after early monocular deprivation. These results suggest that early monocular deprivation has an effect on biochemical systems involved in synaptic transmission at selected relays of the visual pathways.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1980

Tolerance to methadone lethality and microsomal enzyme induction in mice tolerant to and dependent on morphine.

In an attempt to explain a loss of cross-tolerance between morphine and methadone and an increased tolerance to methadone lethality in morphine-dependent mice administered methadone orally for six days, the possibility that methadone was stimulating its own metabolism was investigated. It was found that methadone did enhance its own metabolism two-fold. This increase in activity correlated with the development of tolerance to the lethal effects of methadone as measured by an elevation of the oral methadone LD50. Furthermore, SKF-525A, a potent microsomal inhibitor, abolished this tolerance. The intracerbroventricular methadone LD50 was not altered by six days administration of oral methadone, suggesting that the tolerance observed was dispositional in nature.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Changes in pattern discrimination learning induced by visual deprivation in normal and commissurotomized pigeons.

The effect of monocular (MD), binocular (BD) and alternating monocular (AMD) deprivation on monocular pattern discrimination learning and interocular transfer was investigated in pigeons reared with intact and sectioned supraoptic decussation (DSO). In BD and AMD animals acquisition and interocular transfer of two different pattern discrimination problems remained as good as in the control animals (CO). Monocularly deprived animals (MDE) required significantly more trials to learn the discriminations through the deprived eye, when it was trained first, and interocular transfer from the deprived to the experienced eye was absent. However, if the experienced eye was trained first (MED), learning with the deprived eye was at least as rapid as with the experienced eye. This indicates positive interocular transfer from the experienced to the deprived eye. Interocular transfer of pattern discriminations was completely blocked by section of the DSO in both adults (DSOad) and newly hatched animals (DSOjuv). The elimination of binocular interaction by commissurotomy from the beginning of the postnatal life failed to produce an impaired pattern discrimination learning in monocularly deprived animals.(MD+DSO). The results are discussed in terms of competition between the projections from both eyes in the visual Wulst.

Animals↗
PubMed1971

Properties of lubrol-extracted uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase.

1. A partially purified UDP-glucuronyltransferase was obtained by extracting rat liver microsomal preparations with Lubrol, a non-ionic detergent. 2. The soluble enzyme catalysed conjugation of both o-aminophenol and p-nitrophenol and was extremely stable when compared with untreated microsomal preparations. 3. The characteristics of the conjugation of the two phenols were found to differ with respect to pH optimum, bivalent cation requirement and Michaelis constants, suggesting that more than one enzyme is involved in the conjugation reaction.

Animals↗