Neurofilament and calcium-binding proteins in the human cingulate cortex

Abstract

Functional imaging studies of the human brain have suggested the involvement of the cingulate gyrus in a wide variety of affective, cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. These studies highlighted the need for detailed anatomic analyses to delineate its many cortical fields more clearly. In the present study, neurofilament protein, and the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin, calbindin, and calretinin were used as neurochemical markers to study the differences among areas and subareas in the distributions of particular cell types or neuropil staining patterns. The most rostral parts of the anterior cingulate cortex were marked by a lower density of neurofilament protein-containing neurons, which were virtually restricted to layers V and VI. Immunoreactive layer III neurons, in contrast, were sparse in the anterior cingulate cortex, and reached maximal densities in the posterior cingulate cortex. These neurons were more prevalent in dorsal than in ventral portions of the gyrus. Parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons generally had the same distribution. Calbindin- and calretinin-immunoreactive nonpyramidal neurons had a more uniform distribution along the gyrus. Calbindin-immunoreactive pyramidal neurons were more abundant anteriorly than posteriorly, and a population of calretinin-immunoreactive pyramidal-like neurons in layer V was found largely in the most anterior and ventral portions of the gyrus. Neuropil labeling with parvalbumin and calbindin was most dense in layer III of the anterior cingulate cortex. In addition, parvalbumin-immunoreactive axonal cartridges were most dense in layer V of area 24a. Calretinin immunoreactivity showed less regional specificity, with the exception of areas 29 and 30. These chemoarchitectonic features may represent cellular reflections of functional specializations in distinct domains of the cingulate cortex.

Anterior Cingulate and Subgenual Prefrontal Blood Flow Changes Following Tryptophan Depletion in Healthy Males

“…The differential effects of reduced 5-HT on rCBF in the dorsal ACC and subgenual PFC would be consistent with the fact that the heterogeneity in the cyto-and chemoarchitecture of the human ACC includes significant differences between dorsal and ventral subregions (Gittins and Harrison, 2004;Nimchinsky et al, 1997). For example, in humans, the densities of serotonergic innervation, 5-HT transporters (SERT) and 5-HT 1A receptors are higher in subgenual than dorsal ACC, whereas 5-HT 4 receptor density is lower, and 5-HT 2A and 5-HT 1B receptors are more evenly distributed (Varnas et al, 2004).…”

Responses of Human Anterior Cingulate Cortex Microdomains to Error Detection, Conflict Monitoring, Stimulus-Response Mapping, Familiarity,andOrienting

“…One possible source for this inhibition could be local GABAergic interneurons, whose neuropil (as indicated by parvalbumin and calbindin labeling) is most dense in layer III of ACC (Nimchinsky et al, 1997). A second possible source is cholinergic fibers from the Ch4 cell group in the nucleus basalis of Meynert that project mainly to superficial ACC in primates and humans (Geula and Mesulam, 1989;Lewis, 1991;Selden et al, 1998).…”

Stereologic estimates of total spinophilin-immunoreactive spine number in area 9 and the CA1 field: Relationship with the progression of Alzheimer's disease

“…They relied on chemoarchitectonic patterns to recognize the location of Brodmann's area 9 using monoclonal antibody SMI-32 raised against nonphosphorylated neurofilament proteins (Sternberger Monoclonals, Lutherville, MD, USA). This antibody labels a subpopulation of pyramidal neurons in the human neocortex [11,30,32,48], and has been shown to provide distinct chemoarchitectural characteristics of laminar and region-specific distribution of pyramidal neurons permitting reliable establishment of anatomical boundaries among regional neocortical domains [31,33,52]. The region of the prefrontal cortex referred to as area 9 was characterized by a population of medium to large size pyramidal neurons in layers III and V and a strong labeling of dendrites in the neuropil of these layers.…”