the ferret lateral cervical nucleus: cytoarchitecture, some selected immunoreactivity and its thalamic projections

the ferret lateral cervical nucleus: cytoarchitecture, some selected immunoreactivity and its thalamic projections

Field: Sensory systems

Authors: Zhang, Mengliang
Liu, Yi
Broman, Jonas

Address of presenting
author: Department of Physiological Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 19, 223 62 Lund, Sweden

E-mail: mengliang.zhang@mphy.lu.se

Phone: +46 46 2227748

Fax: +46 46 2224546

Text of abstract: Aim. Because of the high cost of the cat, we are going to use the ferret instead of the cat to pursue the ongoing serial study of the spinocervicothalamic pathway (SCTP). In this experiment we examined the general anatomical organization, the substance P-like and serotonin-like immunoreactivity and the thalamic projection of the ferret lateral cervical nucleus (LCN), aiming to compare the general organization of the LCNs between the ferret and cat.
Methods. Five adult ferrets were sacrificed by transcardial perfusion after deep anesthesia. The sections from the first three segments of the spinal cord were processed by thionin cytoarchitectural staining, substance P and serotonin immunohistochemistry. In three ferrets the injection of WGA-HRP was made into the LCN, the sections from the thalamus were processed with tetramethylbenzidine to visualize the labeled cervicothlamic fibers.
Results. The LCN was present from about mid-C3 to rostral C1. From caudal to rostral the position of the LCN shifts gradually from dorsolateral to ventrolateral of the dorsal horn. The number of LCN cells varies from 3300 - 3700. The substance P- and serotonin- immunoreactive fibers were found throughout the LCN. The difference is that the substance P immunoreactive fibers were more abundant in the ventromedial part than in the dorsolateral part of the LCN. The cervicothalamic tract fibers terminate, among others, mainly in the ventral posterior lateral nucleus, and just like those in the cat, preferentially in its peripheral region.
Conclusions. The anatomical organization, substance P-like and serotonin-like immunoreactivity and the cervicothalamic tract terminations in the thalamus of the ferret, even though not exactly the same, are quite similar with those of the cat. We conclude that the ferret can be used as a suitable substitute for the cat to study the SCTP.

Keywords: spinal cord, carnivora, anatomy,thalamus, somatosensory

	the ferret lateral cervical nucleus: cytoarchitecture, some selected immunoreactivity and its thalamic projections
Field:	Sensory systems
Authors:	Zhang, Mengliang Liu, Yi Broman, Jonas
Address of presenting author:	Department of Physiological Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 19, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
E-mail:	mengliang.zhang@mphy.lu.se
Phone:	+46 46 2227748
Fax:	+46 46 2224546
Text of abstract:	Aim. Because of the high cost of the cat, we are going to use the ferret instead of the cat to pursue the ongoing serial study of the spinocervicothalamic pathway (SCTP). In this experiment we examined the general anatomical organization, the substance P-like and serotonin-like immunoreactivity and the thalamic projection of the ferret lateral cervical nucleus (LCN), aiming to compare the general organization of the LCNs between the ferret and cat. Methods. Five adult ferrets were sacrificed by transcardial perfusion after deep anesthesia. The sections from the first three segments of the spinal cord were processed by thionin cytoarchitectural staining, substance P and serotonin immunohistochemistry. In three ferrets the injection of WGA-HRP was made into the LCN, the sections from the thalamus were processed with tetramethylbenzidine to visualize the labeled cervicothlamic fibers. Results. The LCN was present from about mid-C3 to rostral C1. From caudal to rostral the position of the LCN shifts gradually from dorsolateral to ventrolateral of the dorsal horn. The number of LCN cells varies from 3300 - 3700. The substance P- and serotonin- immunoreactive fibers were found throughout the LCN. The difference is that the substance P immunoreactive fibers were more abundant in the ventromedial part than in the dorsolateral part of the LCN. The cervicothalamic tract fibers terminate, among others, mainly in the ventral posterior lateral nucleus, and just like those in the cat, preferentially in its peripheral region. Conclusions. The anatomical organization, substance P-like and serotonin-like immunoreactivity and the cervicothalamic tract terminations in the thalamus of the ferret, even though not exactly the same, are quite similar with those of the cat. We conclude that the ferret can be used as a suitable substitute for the cat to study the SCTP.

Keywords:	spinal cord, carnivora, anatomy,thalamus, somatosensory

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Created 2000-03-15

Department of Physiological Sciences, Lund University

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