[Paleoamygdala: a comparative analysis of structural and functional organization in wAG/Rij and Wistar rats]

A comparative analysis of structural and functional organization of paleoamygdala was performed in 22 male WAG/Rij and Wistar rats using light microscopy (Nissl staining method and computer morphometric analysis), electron microscopy (using the criteria of the evaluation of the functional state of neurons) and the TUNEL method for apoptotic cell labeling. The results obtained suggest the involvement of the limbic brain structures in the pathogenesis of absence epilepsy. It was shown that the area occupied in the sections by amygdala was significantly greater in WAG/Rij rats (model of absence epilepsy). The assessment of ultrastructural characteristics of neurons in all the structures of paleoamygdala (dorsomedial, posterior medial and posterior cortical nuclei) has shown the signs of the reduction of their functional activity in WAG/Rij rats. In addition, WAG/Rij rats demonstrated the increased numbers of pyknomorphic neurons with the signs of apoptosis, as identified by the TUNEL method, which is indicative of the destructive processes.