Differential effect of lithium on cell number in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in adult mice: a stereological study.

Objectives: Neuroimaging studies have revealed lithium-related increases in the volume of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. Postmortem human studies have reported alterations in neuronal and glial cell density and size in the PFC of lithium-treated subjects. Rodents treated with lithium exhibit cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus.

Comparison of (stereotactic) parcellations in mouse prefrontal cortex.

This study compares the cytoarchitectonic parcellation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the mouse as presented in publications that are commonly used for identifying brain areas. Agreement was found to be greater for boundaries in the medial PFC than in the lateral PFC and lowest for those in the orbital areas of the PFC. In this review, we explain and illustrate in a selected series of photographs and stereotactic pictures the differences in location and terminology of the different prefrontal cortical areas.

The rat orbital and agranular insular prefrontal cortical areas: a cytoarchitectonic and chemoarchitectonic study.

Cytoarchitectonic characterization of borders is necessary for stereological studies (e.g., total cell number estimation), in which particular cortical areas have to be defined.