Patterns of afferent projections to the dentate gyrus studied in organotypic co-cultures

摘要: Cholinergic axons originating from the septum form a characteristic layer of preterminal and apparent termination in molecular hippocampal dentate gyrus. The present study explored specificity this axonal pattern, through use organotypic slice co-cultures. Slices hippocampus were co-cultured with one variety other potential sources afferents, afferent labeled histochemically or immunocytochemically to determine which afferents distribute within pattern similar that formed by septal cholinergic projections. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry demonstrated septum, substantia innominata, striatum all consistently targeted inner AChE-labeled dorsal lateral pontine tegmentum spinal cord sometimes while habenula failed extend into Immunocytochemically identified monoaminergic nigra, locus coeruleus, raphe extended hippocampus; each these systems displayed prominent plexus hilus dentate, but only projected prominently layer. These data demonstrate gyrus provides an attractive target zone for some not all. Commonalities between neuronal populations preferentially project vitro may offer clues regarding axon guidance mechanisms normally direct sites