EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF DORSAL COLUMN-MEDIAL LEMNISCAL PROJECTIONS IN THE CLAWED TOAD, XENOPUS-LAEVIS

In Xenopus laevis fluorescent dextran amines were applied to study the development of the dorsal column-medial lemniscal projection: rhodami ne dextran amine was applied at the mesodiencephalic border to retrogr adely label the cells of origin of the medial lemniscus in the dorsal column nucleus (DCN); fluorescein dextran amine to the spinal cord to anterogradely label the primary afferent projections to the DCN. The f irst mesodiencephalic projections were found at stage 51, i.e. almost immediately after spinal afferent fibers had reached the DCN.