3H-thymidine autoradiographic analysis of telencephalic histogenesis in the chick embryo: II. Dynamics of neuronal migration, displacement, and aggregation.

The movements of cells from their sites of origin in the proliferative neuroepithelium to their final positions in the chick telencephalon were traced by autoradiographic analysis of 3H-thymidine-labeled brains. A series of chick embryos were labeled on successive days of development between days 5 and 9 and fixed for autoradiography between days 6 and 10. Isochrone maps visualizing neuronal positions on each day of development between days 6 and 10 provided direct information concerning cell migrations, displacements, and aggregations leading to compartmentalization of the telencephalic wall and the generation of the "outside-in" pattern of histogenesis characteristic of the avian telencephalon. The topological divisions of the telencephalic wall appear to result from two factors: (1) the specification of neuronal precursors within the neuroepithelium and (2) the intrinsic associative and migratory properties of postmitotic neuronal populations expressed within the mantle layers. There was no evidence that glial cell barriers mediated the initial compartmentalization of neuronal populations.

3H-thymidine autoradiographic analysis of telencephalic histogenesis in the chick embryo: I. Neuronal birthdates of telencephalic compartments in situ.

The birthdates of neuronal populations comprising the chick telencephalon were determined by 3H-thymidine labeling and were mapped with respect to their terminal positions in the 16-day embryo. Essentially all neurons were generated between four and nine days of embryonic development. Each telencephalic structure (based on terminology used by Karten and Hodos, '67) was characterized by a specific range of birthdates: some regions such as the core of the ectostriatum or the paleostriatum primitivum, were generated within a single day, while others, such as the hyperstriatum accessorium, required up to five days for generation of the complete population. Spatial-temporal gradients of neuronal birthdates, lateromedial and ventrodorsal, were seen in the telencephalon as a whole and within individual subcompartments as well. An "outside-in" pattern of histogenesis predominated throughout the entire telencephalon, including the dorsolateral cortex. However, notable exceptions pertaining to the paleostriatum augmentatum, hyperstriatum intercalatus and field "L" were observed. Glial cells, generated for the most part after day ten, were found to be distributed homogeneously throughout all areas of the telencephalon. These data provide the first birthdating data for an avian telencephalon and bring greater resolution to previous analyses of the histogenesis of this brain region. Further, the compartmentalization of the proliferative neuroepithelium is revealed by these data, and the possibility of a common time of origin in the neuroepithelium for neurons of related function is discussed.

Synaptic vesicles of inhibitory and excitatory TERMINALS IN THE CEREBELLUM.

Populations of synaptic vesicles within cerebellar terminals considered excitatory or inhibitory on the basis of physiological evidence differ with respect to size and shape. Size rather than shape appears to be the main morphological difference between these populations. Elongation of vesicles is depenident on fixation with aldehyde fixatives, and both size and elongation change with age mainly during maturation.