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Published on: August 26, 2020
Comparative basolateral amygdala connectomics reveals dissociable single-neuron projection patterns to frontal cortex
Zachary R Zeisler1, Kelsey A Heslin2, Frederic M Stoll1
1Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA; Lipschultz Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Brain circuitry differs between mice and macaques. Researchers found that single basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurons project differently to the frontal cortex (FC) in mice compared to macaques, indicating distinct neural organization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Comparative Anatomy
- Connectomics
Background:
- The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is crucial for emotional processing and psychiatric disorders.
- BLA connections with the frontal cortex (FC) are vital but differ anatomically between primates and rodents.
- Primate brains have lower BLA neuron density and expanded FC compared to rodents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how anatomical differences influence single BLA neuron projections to the FC across species.
- To compare BLA-FC connectivity patterns in mice and macaques using a barcoded connectomic approach.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a barcoded connectomic approach to trace single BLA neuron projections.
- Examined BLA neuron connections to the frontal cortex in mice and macaques.
- Analyzed projection patterns to specific FC regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its rodent homologues.
Main Results:
- BLA neurons project to more diverse FC areas in mice than in macaques.
- BLA projections to the nucleus accumbens were similar in both species.
- BLA-FC connection organization differed significantly, with distinct branching patterns in homologous regions like the ACC and its mouse equivalents.
Conclusions:
- Single-neuron BLA projections to the frontal cortex are not conserved and show species-specific organization between mice and macaques.
- The distinct connectivity patterns may underlie functional differences observed between rodents and primates.
- These findings highlight the importance of comparative connectomics in understanding brain evolution and function.
