Skip to main content
Log in

Anatomical and electrophysiological evidence for a direct projection from ammon's horn to the medial prefrontal cortex in the rat

  • Published:
Experimental Brain Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Following microinjection of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) into the medial prefrontal cortex (defined as the neocortical area innervated by the thalamic mediodorsal nucleus) labelled cells were observed in the pyramidal layer of the CA1 field of Ammon's horn. Observations made using antidromic stimulation confirmed these results, and revealed the slow conduction velocity of the fibres of the hippocampal cells innervating the prefrontal cortex. Taken together, these data provide evidence for a direct projection of CA1 cells to the medial prefrontal cortex.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beckstead RM (1976) Convergent thalamic and mesencephalic projections to the anterior medial cortex in the rat. J Comp Neurol 166: 403–416

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckstead RM (1979) An autoradiographic examination of cortico cortical and subcortical projections of the mediodorsal projection (prefrontal) cortex in the rat. J Comp Neurol 184: 43–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Bichford PC, Palmer MR, Rice KC, Hoffer BJ, Freedman R (1981) Electrophysiological effects of phencyclidine on rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Neuropharmacology 20: 733–742

    Google Scholar 

  • Björklund A, Lindvall O (1984) Dopamine-containing systems in the CNS. In: Björklund A, Hökfelt T (eds) Handbook of chemical neuroanatomy, Vol 2. Elsevier, North Holland, pp 55–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Divac I, Kosmal A, Björklund A, Lindvall O (1978) Subcortical projections to the prefrontal cortex in the rat as revealed by the horseradish peroxidase technique. Neuroscience 3: 785–796

    Google Scholar 

  • Donoghue JP, Parham C (1983) Afferent connections of the lateral agranular field of the rat motor cortex. J Comp Neurol 217: 390–404

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonatas NK, Harper C, Nirutani T, Gonatas JO (1979) Superior sensitivity of conjugates of horseradish peroxidase with wheat germ agglutinin for studies of retrograde axonal transport. J Histochem Cytochem 27: 728–734

    Google Scholar 

  • Guldin WO, Pritzel M, Markowitsch HJ (1981) Prefrontal cortex of the mouse defined as cortical projections area of the thalamic mediodorsal nucleus. Brain Behav Evol 19: 93–107

    Google Scholar 

  • König JFP, Klippel RA (1967) The rat brain. Krieger, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Krettek JE, Price JL (1977) The cortical projections of the mediodorsal and adjacent thalamic nuclei in the rat. J Comp Neurol 171: 157–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Leonard CM (1969) The prefrontal cortex of the rat. I. Cortical projections of the mediodorsal nucleus. II. Efferent connections. Brain Res 12: 321–343

    Google Scholar 

  • Markowitsch HJ, Pritzel M, Divac I (1978) The prefrontal cortex of the cat: a anatomical subdivisions based on retrograde labeling of cells in the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus. Exp Brain Res 32: 335–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Meibach RC, Siegel A (1977) Efferent connections of the hippocampal formation in the rat. Brain Res 124: 197–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Mesulam MM (1978) Tetramethyl benzedine for horseradish peroxidase neurohistochemistry: a non carcinogenic blue reaction product with superior sensitivity for visualizing neural afferents and efferents. J Histochem Cytochem 26: 106–117

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sarter M, Markowitsch HJ (1983) Convergence of basolateral amygdaloid and mediodorsal thalamic projections in different areas of the frontal cortex in the rat. Brain Res Bull 10: 607–622

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawchenko PE, Gerfen CR (1985) Plant lectins and bacterial toxins as tools for tracing neural connections. Trends Neurosci 8: 378–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson LW (1981) A direct projection from Ammon's horn to prefrontal cortex in the rat. Brain Res 217: 150–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson LW, Cowan WM (1977) An autoradiographic study of the organization of the efferent connections of the hippocampal formation in the rat. J Comp Neurol 172: 49–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson LW, Sawchenko PE, Cowan WM (1981) Evidence for collateral projections by neurons in Ammon's horn, the dentate gyrus, and the subiculum: a multiple retrograde labeling study in the rat. J Neurosci 1, 549–559

    Google Scholar 

  • Verney C, Baulac M, Berger B, Alvares C, Vigny A, Helles KB (1985) Morphological evidence for a dopaminergic terminal field in the hippocampal formation of young and adult rat. Neuroscience 14: 1039–1052

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilhite BL, Teyler TJ (1985) Cortico-cortico and limbic-cortico projections to rodent prefrontal cortex. Soc Neurosci Abstr 11: 676

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ferino, F., Thierry, A.M. & Glowinski, J. Anatomical and electrophysiological evidence for a direct projection from ammon's horn to the medial prefrontal cortex in the rat. Exp Brain Res 65, 421–426 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236315

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236315

Key words

Navigation