Biochemical and anatomical subdivision of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in normal mice and in mice lacking the beta2 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

The cytoarchitectonically-uniform dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) can be biochemically and anatomically subdivided in wild-type mice: The nucleus' dorsolateral 'shell' region contains the majority of cells positive for the calcium-binding protein calbindin-D28k, and receives the strongest concentration of inputs from the superior colliculus. This subdivision remains normal in mice lacking the beta2 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Although in these animals the dLGN contains fewer calbindin-positive cells, those cells are predominantly situated in the dorsolateral portion of the nucleus, and this region remains preferentially targeted by the colliculogeniculate projection.