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Morphometric characterization of synapses in the primate prefrontal cortex formed by afferents from the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus

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Abstract

The main thalamic afferentation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) originates in the mediodorsal nucleus (MD). Although it is suggested that this pathway is affected in schizophrenia, there is a lack of functional and structural data regarding its synaptic organization. The scope of this study was to characterize the ultrastructural features of thalamocortical synapses formed by afferents from the MD by applying anterograde tract tracing, immunohistochemical detection of parvalbumin (PV, a probable marker of thalamocortical endings), and quantitative electron microscopic techniques to the PFC of the macaque monkey. Our findings indicate that anterogradely-labeled and PV-immunoreactive boutons exhibit similar ultrastructural properties, characterized by their larger size, higher incidence of release sites and a higher occurrence of mitochondria when compared to non-labeled, excitatory-like endings in the middle layers of the PFC. Although most of the contacts were made on spines in both cases, PV-immunopositive axon terminals apparently targeted dendritic shafts at about twice the frequency found for anterogradely-labeled afferents from the MD (20.5% and 9.5%, respectively). This result suggests diversity among thalamocortical and/or PV-immunoreactive axon terminals of the PFC. In accordance with studies in other cortical areas, our findings suggest that corollary discharge through the mediodorsal thalamocortical projection is also adapted to synaptic transmission with high efficacy and probably exhibits marked short-term temporal dynamics in the PFC.

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Abbreviations

BDA:

Biotinylated dextrane amine

EM:

Electron microscopic

GABAergic:

Gamma aminobutyrate-containing

MD:

Mediodorsal thalamic nucleus

MDpc:

Mediodorsal thalamic nucleus, parvocellular part

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

NL:

Non-labeled

PB:

Phosphate buffer

PBS:

Phosphate buffered saline

PFC:

Prefrontal cortex

PSD:

Postsynaptic density

PV:

Parvalbumin

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants MH44866 (P.S.G.-R.) and MH38546 (P.S.G.-R.). Dr. E. Procyk’s help with the data analysis is highly appreciated. The authors are grateful for Klara Szigeti for her excellent technical assistance.

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Correspondence to L. Negyessy.

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P.S. Goldman-Rakic has died

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Negyessy, L., Goldman-Rakic, P.S. Morphometric characterization of synapses in the primate prefrontal cortex formed by afferents from the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus. Exp Brain Res 164, 148–154 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-2237-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-2237-6

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