Cortical and thalamic connectivity of posterior parietal visual cortical areas PPc and PPr of the domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo).

Abstract

The present study describes the ipsilateral and contralateral cortico-cortical and cortico-thalamic connectivity of the parietal visual areas PPc and PPr in the ferret using standard anatomical tract-tracing methods. The two divisions of posterior parietal cortex of the ferret are strongly interconnected, however area PPc shows stronger connectivity with the occipital and suprasylvian visual cortex, while area PPr shows stronger connectivity with the somatomotor cortex, reflecting the functional specificity of these two areas. This pattern of connectivity is mirrored in the contralateral callosal connections. In addition, PPc and PPr are connected with the visual and somatomotor nuclei of the dorsal thalamus. Numerous connectional similarities exist between the posterior parietal cortex of the ferret (PPc and PPr) and the cat (area 7 and 5), indicative of the homology of these areas within the Carnivora. These findings highlight the existence of a fronto-parietal network as a shared feature of the organization of parietal cortex across Euarchontoglires and Laurasiatherians, with the degree of expression varying in relation to the expansion and areal complexity of the posterior parietal cortex. This observation indicates that the ferret is a potentially valuable experimental model animal for understanding the evolution and function of the posterior parietal cortex and the fronto-parietal network across mammals. The data generated will also contribute to the Ferretome (www.ferretome.org) connectomics databank, to further cross-species analyses of connectomes and illuminate wiring principles of cortical connectivity across mammals.

Cortical and thalamic connectivity of temporal visual cortical areas 20a and 20b of the domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo)

“…Thus, although area 20a in the ferret and the cat share numerous similarities in connectivity patterns (Figure ), the connections with the anterior and dorsal lateral suprasylvian visual areas and with most of the lateral geniculate nucleus observed in the ferret are absent in the cat (Figure ). These differences reiterate our previous findings in the occipital and parietal visual areas of ferret as compared to the cat, where the higher order visual areas of the ferret are under a stronger influence of lateral geniculate input compared to the cat, potentially emphasizing differences in the extraction of visual information in the two species possibly related to life history and morphological differences (Dell, Innocenti, Hilgetag, & Manger, ; Dell, Innocenti, Hilgetag, & Manger, ).…”

“…The posterior parietal cortex has been identified as an integral component of the visual dorsal stream, maintaining direct connections with the prefrontal cortex, as well as numerous direct and indirect connections with the occipital cortex. This has been illustrated in numerous animal studies (Baizer, Ungerleider, & Desimone, ; Kaas & Stepniewska, ; Remple, Reed, Stepniewska, Lyon, & Kaas, ) as well as in the ferret (Dell et al, , ). Similarly, the visual temporal cortex is integral to visual ventral stream information processing; thus, direct connections with the prefrontal cortex are anticipated (Cloutman, ; Goodale & Milner, ; Webster et al, ).…”

The diencephalon of two carnivore species: The feliform banded mongoose and the caniform domestic ferret

“…In an atlas of the domestic ferret brain, based on cyto‐ and myeloarchitecture, Radtke‐Schuller (2018) also provides the same topological arrangement of these two nuclei. Despite this, connectional studies (Dell et al, 2019a, 2019b, 2019c; Manger et al, 2002, 2010) and observations made in the current study in relation to the patterns of immunostaining, specifically neurofilament H and cholineacetyltransferase, support the mediolaterally inverted topology of the LP and Pul for the domestic ferret as presented here. The inversion of these two nuclei aligns with the inverted topology of the LGd in the domestic ferret compared to other carnivores.…”

“…Cyto‐ and myeloarchitectural descriptions of the domestic ferret diencephalon were provided by Herbert (1963) and Radtke‐Schuller (2018). Several studies have examined aspects of the visual nuclei of the domestic ferret dorsal thalamus, including adult connectivity (Akerman, Tolhurst, Morgan, Baker, & Thompson, 2003; Dell, Innocenti, Hilgetag, & Manger, 2019a; Dell, Innocenti, Hilgetag, & Manger, 2019b; Dell, Innocenti, Hilgetag, & Manger, 2019c; Manger, Masiello, & Innocenti, 2002; Manger, Restrepo, & Innocenti, 2010; Morgan, Henderson, & Thompson, 1987), development (Cucchiaro & Guillery, 1984; Guillery, LaMantia, Robson, & Huang, 1985; Hahm, Cramer, & Sur, 1999; Linden, Guillery, & Cucchiaro, 1981; Restrepo, Manger, & Innocenti, 2002; Speer, Mikula, Huberman, & Chapman, 2010), and the developmental and adult expression of certain molecules (Kawasaki, Crowley, Livesey, & Katz, 2004). The somatosensory (Vázquez‐García, Wallman, & Timofeev, 2014), motor (Radtke‐Schuller et al, 2020), auditory (Angelucci, Clascá, Bricolo, Cramer, & Sur, 1997; Angelucci, Clascá, & Sur, 1998), and more general physiological portions of the domestic ferret dorsal thalamus (Monckton & McCormick, 2002) have also been investigated.…”

Cortical and thalamic connectivity of temporal visual cortical areas 20a and 20b of the domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo).

“…9). These differences reiterate our previous findings in the occipital and parietal visual areas of ferret as compared to the cat, where the higher order visual areas of the ferret are under a stronger influence of lateral geniculate input compared to the cat, potentially emphasizing differences in the extraction of visual information in the two species possibly related to life history and morphological differences (Dell, Innocenti, Hilgetag, & Manger, 2018a;Dell, Innocenti, Hilgetag, & Manger, 2018b).…”