Carlsen J
Department of Neurology, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville.
Acta Neurol Scand Suppl. 1989;122:1-27. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1989.tb08018.x.
We have examined the functional anatomical organization of the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BL) in the rat and guinea pig using combined light and electron microscopic methods. Afferent and efferent connections as well as the internal organization of the BL have been studied with combined tracing, immunohistochemical, and Golgi techniques. We have found that the BL receives an intense cholinergic innervation from the ventral forebrain cholinergic system and, for the first time, described a group of intrinsic cholinergic neurons in the BL. The innervation from the primary olfactory cortex and the thalamus, as well as the GABAergic innervation of the amygdalostriatal projection neurons, is also described. Electron microscopic analyses have shown that the cholinergic system as well as the thalamic afferents primarily innervate the distal dendritic arbor of the projection neurons in the BL, whereas the GABAergic fibers are directed primarily towards their soma and proximal dendrites. Correlated light and electron microscopic studies have revealed that the projection neurons in the BL share many features with pyramidal and spiny stellate cells in the cerebral cortex. The ultrastructural characteristics of the afferent fiber systems and of the non-projection neurons in the BL are also reminiscent of the situation in the cerebral cortex. The observations reported in this study lend further support to the concept of a cortical-like organization of the BL. The anatomical observations of the BL are discussed particularly in relation to three major forebrain systems: 1. the ventral striatopallidal system, 2. the continuum formed by the centromedial amygdala, the substantia innominata and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and 3. the cholinergic ventral forebrain system. The clinical implications of the results obtained in this series of experimental studies are discussed in relation to Alzheimer's disease and complex partial seizures. The cholinergic system, in particular, has attracted much interest in relation to senile dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT), which often seems to be characterized by disruption of the ventral forebrain cholinergic projection system. We have found that the cholinergic innervation of the BL is often significantly reduced in SDAT, but interestingly enough, the areas of the basolateral amygdala with the highest content of cholinergic markers contain the smallest numbers of senile plaques.
我们运用光学显微镜与电子显微镜相结合的方法，研究了大鼠和豚鼠基底外侧杏仁核（BL）的功能解剖组织。通过联合示踪、免疫组织化学和高尔基技术，对BL的传入和传出连接以及内部组织进行了研究。我们发现，BL接受来自腹侧前脑胆碱能系统的密集胆碱能神经支配，并且首次在BL中描述了一组内在胆碱能神经元。此外，还描述了来自初级嗅觉皮层和丘脑的神经支配，以及杏仁核纹状体投射神经元的GABA能神经支配。电子显微镜分析表明，胆碱能系统以及丘脑传入神经主要支配BL中投射神经元的远端树突分支，而GABA能纤维主要指向它们的胞体和近端树突。光学显微镜与电子显微镜的相关研究表明，BL中的投射神经元与大脑皮层中的锥体细胞和棘状星状细胞具有许多共同特征。BL中传入纤维系统和非投射神经元的超微结构特征也让人联想到大脑皮层的情况。本研究报告的观察结果进一步支持了BL具有类似皮层组织的概念。特别针对三个主要的前脑系统，讨论了BL的解剖学观察结果：1. 腹侧纹状体苍白球系统；2. 由中央内侧杏仁核、无名质和终纹床核形成的连续结构；3. 胆碱能腹侧前脑系统。结合阿尔茨海默病和复杂部分性癫痫，讨论了这一系列实验研究结果的临床意义。胆碱能系统尤其引起了人们对阿尔茨海默型老年痴呆症（SDAT）的浓厚兴趣，该病似乎常常以腹侧前脑胆碱能投射系统的破坏为特征。我们发现，在SDAT中，BL的胆碱能神经支配常常显著减少，但有趣的是，胆碱能标记物含量最高的基底外侧杏仁核区域，老年斑数量最少。
