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C B Saper

Publications and source records attributed to C B Saper.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Cortical projections arising from the basal forebrain: a study of cholinergic and noncholinergic components employing combined retrograde tracing and immunohistochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase.

The neurochemical identity of ascending putative cholinergic pathways from the rat basal forebrain was investigated employing a method for simultaneously visualizing choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity and retrogradely transported horseradish peroxidase-conjugated wheatgerm agglutinin. This histochemical procedure revealed three distinct populations of neurons: (1) cells which stained only for choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity; (2) cells which stained only for retrograde tracer and (3) cells which stained simultaneously for choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity and retrograde tracer. The results demonstrated that this projection is topographically organized and consists of both cholinergic and noncholinergic components. The relative contribution of each component varied with the telencephalic target area as follows: the olfactory bulb receives a projection from cells of the horizontal limb nucleus, 10-20% of which are cholinergic (Ch3); the hippocampal formation receives afferents from cells of the medial septal and vertical limb nuclei, 35-45% of which are cholinergic (Ch1 and Ch2); and the cortical mantle receives afferents primarily from cells within the substantia innominata-nucleus basalis complex, 80-90% of which are cholinergic (Ch4). The topographical organization of Ch4 projections is not as completely differentiated as we have previously observed in the primate.

Animals↗

A cytoarchitectonic and histochemical study of nucleus basalis and associated cell groups in the normal human brain.

Several recent studies have reported loss of neurons in the nucleus basalis in Alzheimer's disease. However, few detailed studies of the normal distribution of these neurons in the human brain have appeared. We have used Nissl staining and acetylcholinesterase histochemical staining of the human basal forebrain, alone or in combination to identify the organization of the nucleus basalis and associated cell groups, (or collectively, the magnocellular basal nucleus) in the normal human brain. The magnocellular basal nucleus includes a series of clusters of neurons and scattered perikarya extending from the medial septum and diagonal band nucleus rostrally, through the substantia innominata to the furthest caudal extent of the globus pallidus. This distribution is similar to that which has been described in the monkey. Furthermore, acetylcholinesterase-positive fibers in the human brain are seen in the two major pathways that have been identified as carrying magnocellular basal nucleus axons to the cerebral cortex in other species. These observations suggest that the topographic organization of the magnocellular basal projection to cerebral cortex in other species probably exists in man as well. It will therefore be important in future studies of the fate of these neurons in neurological degenerative diseases to assess the loss of neurons in the different components of the magnocellular basal nucleus in relation to the clinical evidence for dysfunction in the cortical areas which they innervate.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Stabilization of the tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) reaction product: application for retrograde and anterograde tracing, and combination with immunohistochemistry.

Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as a substrate for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) histochemistry is more sensitive than other chromogens. Its instability in aqueous solutions and ethanol, however, has limited its application. We now report a method for stabilizing TMB by incubation in combinations of diaminobenzidine (DAB)/cobalt (Co2+)/H2O2. The stabilized TMB product was unaffected by long-term exposures to ethanol, neutral buffers, and subsequent immunohistochemical staining procedures. A procedure is recommended for optimal stabilization of TMB that affords a sensitivity for demonstrating retrogradely labeled perikarya comparable to standard TMB histochemistry. The physical characteristics of the reaction product make it suitable for combination with the unlabeled antibody, peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) immunohistochemical staining procedure. This was established by staining retrogradely labeled neurons in the basal forebrain with a monoclonal antibody against choline acetyltransferase. Because the stabilized TMB product exhibited a superior sensitivity over cobalt ion intensification of the DAB-based reaction product (DAB-Co), it offers a distinct advantage over previously described combination procedures.

Animals↗

Afferent connections of the median preoptic nucleus in the rat: anatomical evidence for a cardiovascular integrative mechanism in the anteroventral third ventricular (AV3V) region.

The afferent connections of cell groups in the anteroventral third ventricular (AV3V) region were investigated using wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate injections into the AV3V area. The median preoptic nucleus was found to receive a unique set of inputs from the subfornical organ, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, the parabrachial nucleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract and the ventrolateral medulla. As each of these structures has been implicated in various aspects of cardiovascular regulation, it is likely that the cardiovascular effects of AV3V lesions are due at least in part to median preoptic damage.

Afferent Pathways↗

Medullary catecholamine inputs to the anteroventral third ventricular cardiovascular regulatory region in the rat.

Lesions in the tissue at the anteroventral end of the third ventricle (AV3V area) prevent the development of a variety of forms of experimental hypertension. This region receives afferents from several cell groups which have been implicated in cardiovascular regulation, including the nucleus of the solitary tract and neurons in the ventrolateral medulla. About 70% of the nucleus of the solitary tract neurons which could be retrogradely labeled from the AV3V area stained immunohistochemically for tyrosine hydroxylase, but not phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, and were therefore presumably noradrenergic. About half of the neurons in the rostral part of the ventrolateral medulla which innervated the AV3V area stained for both enzymes, and thus were apparently adrenergic. These medullary catecholaminergic inputs to the AV3V area may be of importance in explaining recent data concerning the roles of both regions in experimental hypertension.

Animals↗

Distribution of cholinergic neurons in rat brain: demonstrated by the immunocytochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase.

The neuroanatomical location and cytological features of cholinergic neurons in the rat brain were determined by the immunocytochemical localization of the biosynthetic enzyme, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). Perikarya labeled with ChAT were detected in four major cell groups: (1) the striatum, (2) the magnocellular basal nucleus, (3) the pontine tegmentum, and (4) the cranial nerve motor nuclei. Labeled neurons in the striatum were observed scattered throughout the neostriatum (caudate, putamen) and associated areas (nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle). Larger ChAT-labeled neurons were seen in an extensive cell system which comprises the magnocellular basal nucleus. This more or less continuous set of neuronal clusters consists of labeled neurons in the nucleus of the diagonal band (horizontal and vertical limbs), the magnocellular preoptic nucleus, the substantia innominata, and the globus pallidus. Labeled neurons in the pontine tegmentum were seen as a group of large neurons in the caudal midbrain, dorsolateral to the most caudal part of the substantia nigra, and extended in a caudodorsal direction through the midbrain reticular formation into the area surrounding the superior cerebellar peduncle. The neurons in this latter group constitute the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT). An additional cluster of cells was observed medially adjacent to the PPT, in the lateral part of the central gray matter at the rostral end of the fourth ventricle. This group corresponds to the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus. Large ChAT-labeled neurons were also observed in all somatic and visceral motor nerve nuclei. The correspondence of the distribution of ChAT-labeled neurons identified by our methods to earlier immunocytochemical and acetylcholinesterase histochemical studies and to connectional studies of these groups argues for the specificity of the ChAT antibody used.

Animals↗

Projections of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in the rat: evidence for additional extrapyramidal circuitry.

The projections of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) were studied in the rat using anterograde and retrograde transport methods. Ascending fibers to the substantia nigra, the subthalamic nucleus, the globus pallidus, the entopeduncular nucleus, the neostriatum, the ventral thalamus, and the medial and sulcal frontal cortical areas were identified. PPT has been reported to receive afferents from the substantia nigra, the subthalamic nucleus, the entopeduncular nucleus and the neostriatum. The connections of PPT provide an additional limb to extrapyramidal circuitry.

Afferent Pathways↗

Convergence of autonomic and limbic connections in the insular cortex of the rat.

The connections of the insular cortex in the rat were studied by using the anterograde and retrograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated-horseradish peroxidase. Both anterograde and retrograde transport were seen in the ipsilateral lateral frontal, infralimbic, piriform, and perirhinal cortical areas and in the contralateral insular cortex. In the thalamus, both types of labeling were seen in the mediodorsal and ventroposteromedial parvocellular nuclei; primarily retrograde labeling was seen in the centromedial and paracentral nuclei. In the basal forebrain, anterograde labeling was seen in the lateral part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and in the central nucleus of the amygdala, while retrogradely labeled neurons were found in the magnocellular basal nucleus and in the lateral and the basolateral amygdaloid nuclei. Both types of labeling were seen in the posterior lateral hypothalamic area; the tuberomammillary nucleus contained retrogradely labeled neurons bilaterally. In the midbrain, retrogradely labeled neurons were found in the ventral tegmental area and in the dorsal and superior central raphe nuclei. In the pons, both retrogradely and anterogradely transported label was seen bilaterally in the parabrachial nucleus, primarily in the ventromedial caudal part of the medial subnucleus. Retrogradely labeled neurons were found bilaterally in the locus coeruleus. Anterograde transport was followed into the medulla, bilaterally but more heavily in the contralateral side. Labeled axons appeared to terminate in a topographic pattern in the nucleus of the solitary tract. These results indicate that the insular cortex of the rat is an important part of the highly interconnected central autonomic system. Furthermore, the autonomic representation in the insular cortex may be organized in a viscerotopic manner. The insular cortex also has connections with the limbic system and with the lateral frontal cortical system. Although it is not yet clear whether these connections converge upon the same neurons within the insular cortex, earlier physiological data suggest that each of the diverse systems of connections of this area receives relayed vagal inputs. The insular cortex of the rat may contain a primary cortical visceral representation, and its connections may underlie autonomic integration with behavioral and emotional events.

Amygdala↗

Reciprocal parabrachial-cortical connections in the rat.

The projection from the parabrachial nucleus (PB) to the cerebral cortex in the rat was studied in detail using the autoradiographic method for tracing anterograde axonal transport and the wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) method for both anterograde and retrograde tracing. PB innervates layers I, V and VI of a continuous sheet of cortex extending from the posterior insular cortex caudally, through the dorsal agranular and the granular anterior insular cortex and on rostrally into the lateral prefrontal cortex. Within the prefrontal area, PB fibers innervate primarily layer V of the ventrolateral cortex caudally, but more rostrally the innervated region includes progressively more dorsal portions of the prefrontal area, until by the frontal pole the entire lateral half of the hemisphere is innervated. This projection originates for the most part in a cluster of neurons in the caudal ventral part of the medial PB subdivision, although a few neurons in the adjacent parts of the PB, the Kolliker-Fuse nucleus and the subcoeruleus region also participate. After injection of WGA-HRP into the PB region, retrogradely labeled neurons were found in layer V of the same cortical areas which receive PB inputs. The importance of this monosynaptic reciprocal brainstem-cortical projection as a possible anatomical substrate for the regulation of cortical arousal is discussed.

Animals↗

Leukemic infiltration of the cerebellum in acute myelomonocytic leukemia.

A 31-year-old woman with acute myelomonocytic leukemia presented with meningeal signs and a cerebellar mass attributed to leukemic infiltration. The mass disappeared with radiation therapy and intraventricular chemotherapy, but the patient subsequently suffered several spinal nerve root recurrences, disseminated herpes zoster, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. At autopsy, there was no trace of the meningeal leukemia or cerebellar infiltrate. This case illustrates several of the neurologic complications of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, and raises the question whether patients with the myelomonocytic form of this disease might benefit from prophylactic central nervous system treatment.

Adult↗

Efferent connections of the parabrachial nucleus in the rat.

The efferent connections of the parabrachial nucleus have been analyzed in the rat using the anterograde autoradiographic method. Fibers originating from the lateral parabrachial nucleus (PBl) ascend in the periventricular system, the dorsal tegmental bundle and the central tegmental tract. The PBl projects to the dorsal raphe nucleus, the superior central raphe nucleus, and the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. It also innervates the intralaminar (centromedian, centrolateral, paracentral, parafascicular), the midline (paraventricular, reuniens), and the ventromedial basal (VMb) thalamic nuclei as well as much of the hypothalamus, including the dorsomedial, the ventromedial, the arcuate and the paraventricular nuclei, the lateral hypothalamic and the lateral preoptic areas. The PBl sends fibers via the ansa peduncularis into the amygdala, innervating the anterior, the central, the medial, the basomedial, and the posterior basolateral nuclei. In addition, it projects to the lateral part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Descending PBl fibers travel mainly through the ventrolateral medulla, passing through the region of the A1 and A5 catecholamine cell groups, the ventrolateral reticular formation and the region that contains parasympathetic preganglionic neurons. A small component travels in Probst's bundle to the ventral part of the nucleus of the solitary tract. Only a few PBl axons continue caudally into the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord, but these could not be followed beyond the first few cervical segments. The projections of the medial parabrachial nucleus (PBm) are similar to those of PBl, but two major differences have been noted. One difference is that the PBm provides a direct input to 4 regions of cerebral cortex: (1) the granular insular cortex; (2) the deep layers of the frontal cortex; (3) the septo-olfactory area; and (4) the infralimbic cortex. The other difference is that unlike the PBl, the PBm appears to provide almost no input to the medial hypothalamic nuclei (dorsomedial, ventromedial, arcuate nuclei) nor to the medial amygdaloid nucleus. The PBm projects heavily to the nucleus ambiguus and there was no evidence for an input to the nucleus of the solitary tract. The projections of the Kölliker-Fuse nucleus (KF) are distinct from those of either PBm or PBl. The KF projects via the central tegmental tract to the lateral hypothalamic area, the lateral preoptic area, and the central nucleus of the amygdala. The contralateral projection to the zona incerta, the lateral hypothalamic area, and the lateral preoptic areas is more prominent than the ipsilateral projections. Descending KF fibers travel mainly through the ventrolateral medullary reticular formation passing through regions which give rise to parasympathetic preganglionic fibers of the VIIth, IXth and Xth cranial nerves and the A1 and A5 catecholamine cell groups. In one experiment, fibers could be followed to the intermediolateral cell column of the upper thoracic spinal cord.

Animals↗

An autoradiographic study of the efferent connections of the lateral hypothalamic area in the rat.

The efferent connections of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) have been analyzed in a series of 30 rat brains with injections of 3H-amino acids into different parts of the area and the surrounding regions. Our findings indicate that all parts of the LHA contribute ascending and descending fibers to the medial forebrain bundle, and also project medially to certain of the adjoining hypothalamic nuclei. All levels of the LHA appear to send some fibers to a continuous group of structures that extends from the medial septal-diagonal band complex rostrally, through the lateral preoptic and lateral hypothalamic areas to the mammillary complex and the ventral tegmental area caudally. In addition, it is evident that cells at different levels within the LHA may have differential projections. Thus, the anterior and lateral parts of the LHA also appear to project substantially to the anterior hypothalamic area, the ventromedial and dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei, the parataenial and paraventricular nuclei of the thalamus, and the medial part of the lateral habenular nucleus. Similarly, cells in the tuberal and posterior parts of the LHA project to the central gray, the longest projections from the posterior region reaching as far caudally as the central tegmental field, the parabrachial nucleus, the locus coeruleus, and the superior central and dorsal nuclei of the raphe. Viewed as a whole, the LHA is therefore well-suited to integrate inputs from the limbic system and brainstem and to relay them on the one hand to the medial zone of the hypothalamus and on the other to virtually every structure closely associated with the medial forebrain bundle and to the nuclei of origin of the major ascending monoaminergic systems.

Animals↗

The efferent connections of the anterior hypothalamic area of the rat, cat and monkey.

The general morphology and topographic relations of the anterior hypothalamic area (AHA) in the rat, cat and squirrel monkey have been described, and its efferent connections analyzed autoradiographically, after small injections of 3H-labeled amino acids into, or around, the area. In all three species the AHA is rather poorly separated from the surrounding preoptic and hypothalamic areas and nuclei but shows three distinct cellular condensations, located rostrally, centrally, and posterodorsally. Closely associated with the AHA are the retrochiasmatic area, the anterior periventricular nucleus and the scattered neurons usually referred to as the accessory supraoptic nucleus. The AHA has primarily short connections to the adjoining medial preoptic area, the lateral hypothalamic area, the periventricular nucleus, the dorsomedial nucleus, and to the "capsule" of the ventromedial nucleus. However, it also has certain more distant projections, rostrally to a narrow zone centered in the ventral part of the lateral septal nucleus, and caudally to the dorsal premammillary nuclei, the posterior hypothalamic area and the central gray. There is some evidence to suggest that the various subdivisions of the AHA have different efferent connections. Thus the posterodorsal cell condensation appears to give rise to the bilateral projection to the dorsal premammillary nuclei, while the projections to the septum, the posterior hypothalamic area and the central gray seem to have their origin in the central condensation. Similarly, the retrochiasmatic area sends its efferents through the ventral supraoptic commissure to the amygdala, the anterior periventricular nucleus contributes to the periventricular fiber system and to the external lamina of the median eminence, and the accessory supraoptic neurons project to the internal lamina of the median eminence.

Animals↗