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Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Functional Evaluation of Olfactory Pathways in Living Xenopus Tadpoles

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Published on: December 11, 2018

The olfactory amygdala in amniotes: an evo-devo approach.

Antonio Abellán¹, Ester Desfilis, Loreta Medina

¹Laboratory of Brain Development and Evolution, Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Institute of Biomedical Research of Lleida, Lleida, Spain.

Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)

|August 2, 2013

Summary

The medial amygdala, crucial for social behaviors, evolved distinct neuronal subtypes. These subtypes, present in early ancestors, show variations across species due to evolutionary changes in the vomeronasal system.

Keywords:

developmental regulatory genes evolution forebrain embryonic divisions medial amygdala pheromones social behavior vomeronasal system

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The Olfactory System as a Model to Study Axonal Growth Patterns and Morphology In Vivo

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Published on: October 30, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Evolutionary Biology
Developmental Biology

Background:

The medial amygdala integrates sensory and endocrine signals, influencing social behaviors in tetrapods.
Evolutionary changes in the vomeronasal system correlate with differences in social behaviors across species.
Variations in vomeronasal-recipient brain structures, like the medial amygdala, are linked to these evolutionary shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the function and evolution of the medial amygdala using an evolutionary developmental biology approach.
To understand the origins and diversification of neuronal subpopulations within the medial amygdala.

Main Methods:

Reviewed published fate mapping data in mice.
Analyzed the expression of orthologous developmental regulatory genes (Nkx2.1, Lhx6, Shh, Tbr1, Lhx9, Lhx5, Otp, Pax6) in embryonic stages of mice, chickens, turtles, frogs, and lizards.
Compared gene expression patterns to infer evolutionary conservation and divergence.

Main Results:

Identified at least five distinct neuronal subpopulations in the rodent medial amygdala based on embryonic origin and genetic profiles (Nkx2.1/Lhx6, Shh, Lhx9, Otp/Lhx5, Pax6).
Demonstrated that specific subpopulations, like Lhx6-expressing cells, are involved in distinct functional pathways, such as pheromone detection and reproductive circuits.
Inferred that at least three of these neuronal subtypes were likely present in the medial amygdala of the amniote common ancestor.

Conclusions:

The medial amygdala comprises evolutionarily conserved and diverged neuronal subpopulations, each contributing to specific functions.
Evolutionary changes, such as the downregulation of Nkx2.1, likely influenced the expansion of certain subpopulations (Otp/Lhx5) during mammalian evolution.
Understanding these developmental and genetic underpinnings provides insight into the evolution of social behavior.