Basal forebrain neurons have axon collaterals that project to widely divergent cortical areas in the cat

Basal forebrain neurons with axon collaterals that project to widely divergent cortical areas were identified using retrograde transport of two labels. A proportion of neurons in the basal forebrain have axon collaterals that project to both anterior (precruciate gyrus) and posterior (marginal and suprasylvian gyri) cortical areas or to medial (precruciate gyrus) and lateral (ectosylvian and anterior suprasylvian gyri) cortical areas. These branched fibers originate from cells located predominantly in the basal nucleus of Meynert. The existence of such neurons suggests that individual basal forebrain cells are capable of influencing widespread neocortical zones in the cat.