Widespread Horizontal Connections Arising from Layer 5/6 Border Inverted Cells in Rabbit Visual Cortex

Abstract

Herein we describe the inverted cells [defined as those projection neurons having a major dendritic shaft abpially oriented (Bueno-López et al., Eur. J. Neurosci., 3, 415, 1991)] originating a unique set of cortical connections characterized by extraordinarily widespread horizontal distribution. Single and multiple injections of wheatgerm agglutinin - horseradish peroxidase were made in areas 17 and 18 and the resulting retrograde labelling in the cortex was analysed. The findings were assessed in independent control experiments in which Fluoro-Gold was used as retrograde tracer. Following single injections in area 17 several separate patches of labelled cells comprising layers 2 - 6 were consistently found in area 18. In addition to these associational cells a number of labelled cells appeared at the layer 5/6 border but were distributed over most of the tangential extent of the visual occipital cortex. This widespread pattern was particularly striking in brains after multiple injections. In these brains a conspicuous band of labelled cells at the 5/6 border radiated from the injection sites, making up an apparently continuous horizontal sheet that intersected the striate - extrastriate boundary and merged with the patches of labelled cells in area 18 and beyond. Most of the cells in the 5/6 border band were inverted cells (82%; n=2081). Injections in area 18 failed to produce such a widespread set of labelled cells in area 17. The functional significance of these connections furnished by the 5/6 border inverted cells remains to be determined, but their distribution would allow for convergent/divergent binding interactions both intra-areally (within area 17) and inter-areally (from area 18 to area 17).

Projections, Partaken Circuits and Axon Initial Segments of Cortical Principal Neurons

“…Most associative and commissural axons emerge from pyramidal cells sited in layers 2/3 and 5-6, and also from spiny inverted pyramidal cells and other polymorphic cells of layers 5-6 [23,27,28]. The axons of all these cells extend forward to innervate the layer 4 of cortical areas of higher-order hierarchy [23,[27][28][29][30]. This is the so-called associative forward projection [31].…”

“…This is the so-called associative forward projection [31]. In turn, the associative backward projection arise from cells sited in layers 2/3 and 5-6 of higher-order areas to innervate layers 1 and, to a lesser extent, 3, 5 and 6 of areas of lesser-order hierarchy [23,27,32]. This layer-segregation of forward and backward projections indicates that they target very different neuronal elements in recipient regions [18].…”

“…Spiny inverted pyramidal cells are morphologically and numerically conspicuous among the cells of layers 5-6 furnishing the associative backward projection in rabbits and cats; these cells also originate an important proportion of commissural, cortico-claustral and cortico-striatal projections; they neglegeably project to extratelencephalic centres such as the geniculate nuclei, colliculi and pons [23,27,33]. See Table 1 for a summary and [28] for a review; see also Section 4 in this Chapter for more data on AIS of these cells.…”

“…Commissural axons result from a broad and anatomically diverse population of principal cells that are located primarily in layers 2/3, 5 and 6 of restricted areas; there are interspecies differences in the laminar address of commissural neurons; in ferrets, rabbits and rats the commissural neurons predominate in infragranular layers [23,26,27,34,35]. Commissural cells can be further defined based on patterns of collateral projections to the ipsi-and contralateral striata and cortices, as well as by the expression of combinations of molecular markers [36].…”

“…Cortico-pontine projection < 1% Not studied Not studied Table 1. Percentages of spiny inverted cells of layers 5-6 out of the total number of principal cells of layer 5-6 of identified projection in cerebral cortex of rabbits [23,27,33] (The commissural projection is not included in this Table, but see [23,27].) All but one* of these percentages were estimated taking into account all infragranular neurons within clear-cut columns of retrograde labelling that extended along the radial dimension of the cortex.…”