The amygdala is a bilateral temporal lobe brain region which plays an important role in emotional processing. Past studies on the amygdala have shown hemispheric differences in amygdalar processes and responses associated with specific pain and fear behaviors. Despite the functional differences in the amygdala, few studies have been performed to characterize whether anatomical differences exist between the left and right amygdala. Parvalbumin (PV) is a phenotypic marker for an inhibitory interneuronal population in cortical brain structures such as the basolateral amygdala complex (BLC). This study examined the number of PV-positive neurons in the left and right BLC of adult, male Long-Evans rats using unbiased stereology. Coronal sections through the rostral-caudal extent of the BLC were immunohistochemically-stained for PV and the optical fractionator method was used to obtain an unbiased estimate of the number of PV-positive neurons in subdivisions through the BLC. The lateral and basolateral amygdala divisions of the BLC were analyzed, were subdivided into the dorsolateral, ventrolateral and ventromedial and the posterior, anterior and ventral subdivisions, respectively. The results indicate that there are significantly more PV-positive neurons in the left basolateral amygdala compared to the right, with a significant difference specifically in the posterior subdivision. This difference in PV neuronal number could help explain the distinct hemispheric roles of the BLC in the behavioral processing following exposure to painful and fearful stimuli.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2017.10.028 | DOI Listing |
Nature
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
The ventrolateral pallial (VLp) excitatory neurons in the claustro-amygdalar complex and piriform cortex (PIR; which forms part of the palaeocortex) form reciprocal connections with the prefrontal cortex (PFC), integrating cognitive and sensory information that results in adaptive behaviours. Early-life disruptions in these circuits are linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, highlighting the importance of understanding their development. Here we reveal that the transcription factors SOX4, SOX11 and TFAP2D have a pivotal role in the development, identity and PFC connectivity of these excitatory neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropharmacology
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Addiction Sciences Division, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425. Electronic address:
Alcohol use disorder is associated with altered function of cortical-amygdala-striatal circuits such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), basolateral amygdala (BLA) and their connections to the dorsal medial striatum (DMS) shown to be involved in goal-directed actions. Using retrobead tracing, we previously reported enhanced excitability of DMS-projecting OFC neurons in mice following 3-to-7-day withdrawal from chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure. In the same animals, spiking of DMS-projecting BLA neurons was decreased at 3-days post-withdrawal followed by an increase in firing at 7- and 14-days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain Struct Funct
January 2025
Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boğaziçi University, Bebek, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey.
Theta oscillations of the mammalian amygdala are associated with processing, encoding and retrieval of aversive memories. In the hippocampus, the power of the network theta oscillation is modulated by basal forebrain (BF) GABAergic projections. Here, we combine anatomical and computational approaches to investigate if similar BF projections to the amygdaloid complex provide an analogous modulation of local network activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurobiol Stress
January 2025
Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University, School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
With the recent rise in the rate of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in women, the historical gap between men and women living with this condition is narrowing. While there are many commonalities in how men and women are impacted by AUD, an accumulating body of evidence is revealing sex-dependent adaptations that may require distinct therapeutic approaches. Preclinical rodent studies are beginning to shed light on sex differences in the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on synaptic activity in a number of brain regions.
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