Webster M J, Bachevalier J, Ungerleider L G
Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
J Comp Neurol. 1995 Feb 6;352(2):213-26. doi: 10.1002/cne.903520205.
As part of a long-term study designed to examine the ontogeny of visual memory in monkeys and its underlying neural circuitry, we have examined the subcortical connections of the inferior temporal cortex in infant monkeys and compared them to those previously described in adult monkeys (Webster et al. [1993] J. Comp. Neurol. 335:73-91). Inferior temporal areas TEO and TE were injected with wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase and tritiated amino acids, respectively, or vice versa, in 1-week-old (N = 6) and 3-4-year-old (N = 6) Macaca mulatta, and the distributions of labeled cells and terminals were examined in subcortical structures. Although the connections of inferior temporal cortex with subcortical structures were found to be similar in infant and adult monkeys, several projections appear to undergo refinement during development. Quantitative analysis showed that 1) whereas the projection from TE to the superior colliculus is consistent (5 of 5 cases) and widespread in infants, it is less reliable (2 of 7 cases) and limited in areal extent in adults; 2) although the projections from TE to nucleus medialis dorsalis and the tail of the caudate are present in infants and adults, they are reduced in adults; and 3) TEO receives input from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in both infants and adults, but the number of cells giving rise to this projection is lower in adults. There was also a suggestion that TE projects to nucleus paracentralis in infants (2 of 5 cases) but not in adults (0 of 7 cases). No differences between infants and adults were apparent in other subcortical connections, including those with the pulvinar, reticular nucleus, claustrum, and putamen.
作为一项旨在研究猴子视觉记忆的个体发生及其潜在神经回路的长期研究的一部分，我们检查了幼年猴子颞下皮质的皮质下连接，并将其与先前在成年猴子中描述的连接进行了比较（Webster等人，[1993]《比较神经学杂志》335:73 - 91）。在1周龄（N = 6）和3 - 4岁（N = 6）的恒河猴中，分别向颞下区域TEO和TE注射与辣根过氧化物酶和氚标记氨基酸偶联的小麦胚芽凝集素，或者反之亦然，并在皮质下结构中检查标记细胞和终末的分布。尽管发现幼年和成年猴子颞下皮质与皮质下结构的连接相似，但在发育过程中，一些投射似乎会经历精细化过程。定量分析表明：1）虽然从TE到上丘的投射在幼年猴子中是一致的（5例中有5例）且分布广泛，但在成年猴子中可靠性较低（7例中有2例）且面积范围有限；2）虽然从TE到背内侧核和尾状核尾部的投射在幼年和成年猴子中都存在，但在成年猴子中减少了；3）TEO在幼年和成年猴子中都接受来自背外侧膝状核的输入，但产生这种投射的细胞数量在成年猴子中较少。还有迹象表明，TE在幼年猴子中投射到中央旁核（5例中有2例），而在成年猴子中则不投射（7例中有0例）。在其他皮质下连接中，包括与丘脑枕、网状核、屏状核和壳核的连接，幼年和成年猴子之间没有明显差异。
