Stereotaxic atlas of the telencephalon of the weakly electric fish Gymnotus carapo

A restraining box for the head and body of the electric fish Gymnotus carap o was constructed and coupled to a micromanipulator, permitting us to prepa re an atlas of the telencephalon with stereotaxic parameters. A photograph and a schematic drawing of an animal's head is presented, showing two skin eletroreceptors that were used as external landmarks. A sagittal section of the telencephalic structure is also presented, whose vertical bars indicat e the frontal planes that compose the atlas. The frontal planes of the atla s consist of serial sections spaced 600 or 500 mu m apart in the rostrocaud al axis. Sections mapped with acetylcholinesterase are shown, intercalated with Nissl-stained sections. The acetylcholinesterase sections proved to be useful for the delimitation of certain nuclei and for the exact localizati on of small fissures and fiber tracts. A brief description of major cytoarc hitectural subdivision and connections of the telencephalon is provided. (C ) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.