LABORATORY OF NEUROANATOMY
|
Head: Prof.
Anna KOSMAL, Ph.D., D.Sc. E-mail: a.kosmal@nencki.gov.pl Staff : Monika MALINOWSKA, Ph.D. Agnieszka WOŹNICKA, M.Sc. Mariusz BŁASZCZYK, M.Sc. |
Laboratory of Neuroanatomy is engaged in problems of functional anatomy.
The main topics are:
·
the cellular features of subcortical
and cortical structures related to sensory processing and memory functions;
·
their neuronal connections, which determine the
organization of subcortical and cortical projections
reaching the cortical areas and limbic structures;
·
their relation
to the frontal cortex.
The cellular features
of subcortical structures and cortical areas are
determined through application of a standard histological methods for the
myelin and Nissl substance staining and immunocytochemical method for the calcium-binding protein
– parvalbumin. Chemoarchitecture
is defined by using histochemical procedures like the
Timm staining, sodium selenite
method, acetylcholinesterase and cytochrome
oxidase. Organization of neuronal connections is
examined in the experimental procedures by injections of fluorochrome
dyes: fast-blue (FB), diamidine-yellow (DY) and fluoro-ruby (FR), as well as the
biotinylated dextran amine
(BDA) injected into chosen subcortical or cortical
structures. An analyze of distribution of retrograde cells labeling and anterograde labeling of axons is made by using the Nikon (Optiphot 2) microscope with fluorescent equipment, and
fixed automatic stage, as well as computer image analyze system (Image Pro Plus
program, 4.1 version) adapted to the camera and microscope.
Current topics in
Lab. are:
-
organization of the thalamo-cortical
connections of the temporal cortex in the dog’s brain;
-
intracortical
connections of the temporal cortex forming background of processing of the
auditory information;
-
a morphological structure of the perirhinal
and entorhinal cortex;
-
comparison of the
results with that in the other species, particularly with monkey brain.
Obtained
results establish a morphological basis for processing of auditory information
and hierarchy of sensory, parasensory and association
fields of the temporal cortex. The cortical sensory fields were defined on the
basis of topography of afferent projections from the medial geniculate
nuclei, lateromedial-suprageniculate complex and
posterior thalamic nuclei. The association areas were determined on the basis
of projections from the polysensory thalamic nuclei
and a multimodal convergence throughout intracortical
connections. In canine brain, a convergence of auditory and visual information
takes place at a low stage of the parasensory cortex
of the ventral temporal and occipital cortex.
High-level association fields of the
convergence of auditory, visual and somatosensory
modality were defined in the anterodorsal area of the
temporal cortex. Interconnections between the temporal and frontal cortex
involve only the highest order of the association cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It is in contrast with
pattern of multimodal connections in the primate brains, where comparable
connections with the frontal association cortex originate at a low stage of the
parasensory cortex and reach various parts of the
prefrontal cortex.
Selected
publications:
1. Kosmal
A., Malinowska M., and Kowalska
D.M. Thalamic and amygdaloid connections of the
auditory association cortex of the superior temporal gyrus
in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).
Acta Neurobiol. Exp. 1997. 57:
165-188.
2. Kosmal
A., Malinowska M., and Woźnicka
A. Diversity of connections of the temporal neocortex
with amygdaloid nuclei in the dog (Canis familiaris). Acta Neurobiol. Exp. 1997. 57:
289-314.
3. Kosmal A. Organization of connections
underlying the processing of auditory information in the dog. Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol&Biol Psychiat.
2000. 24:825-854.
4. Kowalska DM., Kuśmierek
P., Kosmal A., Mishkin M.
Neither perirhinal/entorhinal nor hippocampal
lesions impair short-term auditory recognition memory in dogs. Neuroscience 2001. 104: 965-978.
5. Woźnicka A., Kosmal,
A. Cytoarchitecture of the canine perirhinal
and postrhinal cortex. Acta Neurobiol. Exp.
2003.