Volume and topographical changes of the basolateral complex during the development of the rat's amygdaloid body

Volume and topography of basolateral complex during development and maturation in fetal and postnatal rat brains were studied using morphometrical methods. 39 rat brains of various ages were fixed in formalin, frozen and cut into 25-micron-thick sections and stained with cresyl violet. In cresyl violet preparation the basolateral complex appeared first on 17th prenatal day and it was composed of two homogenous parts--lateral and basolateral nuclei. On about 7th postnatal day each of these nuclei divided into two parts--the first one into the dorsolateral and ventromedial part, while the second one--into the anterior and posterior parts. Morphometric investigations showed that volume of the basolateral complex and its parts underwent the biggest changes up to 14th postnatal day, and we suspected that during this time it was more sensitive to pathological changes. After that day the volume of the basolateral complex had changed only a little.