E. Jolkkonen et al., Projections from the amygdalo-piriform transition area to the amygdaloid complex: A PHA-L study in rat, J COMP NEUR, 432(4), 2001, pp. 440-465
The amygdalo-piriform transition area is a poorly defined region in the tem
poral lobe that is heavily connected with the olfactory system. As part of
an ongoing project aimed at understanding the neuronal pathways that provid
e sensory information to the amygdala, we investigated the cytoarchitectoni
c and chemoarchitectonic features of the amygdalo-piriform transition area
and its connections to the amygdaloid complex in 13 rats by using the anter
ograde tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin. Our analysis indicates t
hat the amygdalo-piriform transition area has medial (rostral and caudal po
rtions) and lateral parts. The rostromedial part projects heavily to the in
termediate and lateral divisions of the central nucleus, whereas the caudom
edial part projects mainly to the medial division. The lateral part of the
amygdalo-piriform transition area projects heavily to the capsular and late
ral divisions of the central nucleus. Electron microscopic analysis reveale
d that the projection to the lateral division of the central nucleus forms
asymmetric contacts with the spines and shafts of postsynaptic neurons and,
therefore, is assumed to be excitatory. The amygdalo-piriform transition a
rea also projects moderately to other amygdaloid nuclei, including the parv
icellular division of the basal nucleus, the anterior cortical nucleus, and
the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract. The lateral and medial parts o
f the amygdalo-piriform transition area also project to the distal temporal
CA1 and distal temporal subiculum, respectively. Unlike the adjacent entor
hinal cortex, the amygdalo-piriform transition area does not project to the
dentate gyrus. These data suggest that the amygdalo-piriform transition ar
ea is a region that influences both emotional and memory processing in para
llel by means of pathways to the amygdala and the hippocampus, respectively
. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.