CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SUPERIORCOLLICULUS AND LATERAL GENICULATE BODY IN THE GOLDEN HAMSTER / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Connection between the superior colliculus(SC)and the dorsal and ventral lateral geniculate nuclei (LGd and LGv) were studied in adult golden hamsters using anterograde and retrograde pathway tracing methods 1. In four hamsters, the cytoarchitecture of the SC, LGd and LGv was examined in brain sections stained with Nissl's or Loyez's method. 2. A single injection of a mixture of ~3H-leucine and ~3H-proline was made into various regions of the SC in each of 4 animals (1 day survival) for studying the pattern of terminal distribution of the projections from the SC to the ipsilateral LGd and LGv. In animals where the injection site was located in the superficial gray layers of the lateral portion of the SC, labelled terminals were found in the caudal lateral part of the LGd and LGv. In the case where the injection was restricted in more medial part of the SC, the terminal labelling was observed in the rostral lateral portion of the lateral geniculate nuclei. 3. One day after an injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the LGd (4 animals), LGv(2 animals), or LP(2 animals) labelled neurons were observed in the superficial gray layers of the ipsilateral superior colliculus. No HRP-labelled neuron was detected in deeper laminae in the colliculus. These results indicate that neurons in the superficial gray layers of the SC project to the ipsilateral LGd and LGv, and the projections are organized topogra- phically according to the retinotopic or visual field map