Review for "Projections from the Dorsomedial Division of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis to Hypothalamic Nuclei in the Mouse"

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a telencephalic structure well-connected to hypothalamic regions known to control goal-oriented behaviors such as feeding. In particular, we showed that the dorsomedial division of the anterior BNST innervate neurons of the paraventricular (PVH), dorsomedial (DMH), and arcuate (ARH) hypothalamic nuclei as well as the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). While the anatomy of these projections has been characterized in mice, their ontogeny has not been studied. In this study, we used the DiI-based tract tracing approach to study the development of BNST projections innervating several hypothalamic areas including the PVH, DMH, ARH, and LHA. These results indicate that projections from the dorsomedial division of the anterior BNST to hypothalamic nuclei are immature at birth and substantially reach the PVH, DMH, and the LHA at P10. In the ARH, only sparse fibers are observed at P10, but their density increased markedly between P12 and P14. Collectively, these findings provide new insight into the ontogeny of hypothalamic circuits, and highlight the importance of considering the developmental context as a direct modulator in their proper formation.

Download Full-text

Extensive divergence of projections to the forebrain from neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus

Brain Structure and Function ◽

10.1007/s00429-021-02289-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sa Li ◽

Xinwen Dong ◽

Gilbert J. Kirouac

Keyword(s):

Paraventricular Nucleus ◽

Early Gene ◽

Central Nucleus ◽

Stria Terminalis ◽

Toxin B ◽

Projection System ◽

Bed Nucleus ◽

Hypothalamic Nuclei ◽

Subcortical Regions ◽

Functionally Diverse

AbstractNeurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) respond to emotionally salient events and project densely to subcortical regions known to mediate adaptive behavioral responses. The areas of the forebrain most densely innervated by the PVT include striatal-like subcortical regions that consist of the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcSh), the dorsolateral region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTDL) and the lateral-capsular division of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeL). A recent tracing experiment demonstrated that the PVT is composed of two intermixed populations of neurons that primarily project to either the dorsomedial (dmNAcSh) or ventromedial region of the NAcSh (vmNAcSh) with many of the vmNAcSh projecting neurons providing collateral innervation of the BSTDL and CeL. The present study used triple injections of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B to provide a detailed map of the location of PVT neurons that provide collaterals to the vmNAcSh, BSTDL and CeL. These neurons were intermixed throughout the PVT and did not form uniquely localized subpopulations. An intersectional viral anterograde tracing approach was used to demonstrate that regardless of its presumed target of innervation (dmNAcSh, vmNAcSh, BSTDL, or CeL), most neurons in the PVT provide collateral innervation to a common set of forebrain regions. The paper shows that PVT-dmNAcSh projecting neurons provide the most divergent projection system and that these neurons express the immediate early gene product cFos following an aversive incident. We propose that the PVT may regulate a broad range of responses to physiological and psychological challenges by simultaneously influencing functionally diverse regions of the forebrain that include the cortex, striatal-like regions in the basal forebrain and a number of hypothalamic nuclei.

Download Full-text

Decision letter for "Projections from the Dorsomedial Division of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis to Hypothalamic Nuclei in the Mouse"

10.1002/cne.24988/v1/decision1 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Stria Terminalis ◽

Bed Nucleus ◽

Hypothalamic Nuclei

Download Full-text

Review for "Projections from the Dorsomedial Division of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis to Hypothalamic Nuclei in the Mouse"

10.1002/cne.24988/v2/review1 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Stria Terminalis ◽

Bed Nucleus ◽

Hypothalamic Nuclei

Download Full-text

Decision letter for "Projections from the Dorsomedial Division of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis to Hypothalamic Nuclei in the Mouse"

10.1002/cne.24988/v2/decision1 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Stria Terminalis ◽

Bed Nucleus ◽

Hypothalamic Nuclei

Download Full-text

Neurochemical Characterization of Neurons Expressing Estrogen Receptor β in the Hypothalamic Nuclei of Rats Using in Situ Hybridization and Immunofluorescence

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21010115 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 115 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Moeko Kanaya ◽

Shimpei Higo ◽

Hitoshi Ozawa

Keyword(s):

In Situ Hybridization ◽

High Ratio ◽

Estrogen Signaling ◽

Stria Terminalis ◽

Bed Nucleus ◽

Hypothalamic Nuclei ◽

Vasopressin Neurons ◽

The Brain

Estrogens play an essential role in multiple physiological functions in the brain, including reproductive neuroendocrine, learning and memory, and anxiety-related behaviors. To determine these estrogen functions, many studies have tried to characterize neurons expressing estrogen receptors known as ERα and ERβ. However, the characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons in the rat brain still remain poorly understood compared to that of ERα-expressing neurons. The main aim of this study is to determine the neurochemical characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons in the rat hypothalamus using RNAscope in situ hybridization (ISH) combined with immunofluorescence. Strong Esr2 signals were observed especially in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV), bed nucleus of stria terminalis, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), supraoptic nucleus, and medial amygdala, as previously reported. RNAscope ISH with immunofluorescence revealed that more than half of kisspeptin neurons in female AVPV expressed Esr2, whereas few kisspeptin neurons were found to co-express Esr2 in the arcuate nucleus. In the PVN, we observed a high ratio of Esr2 co-expression in arginine-vasopressin neurons and a low ratio in oxytocin and corticotropin-releasing factor neurons. The detailed neurochemical characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons identified in the current study can be very essential to understand the estrogen signaling via ERβ.

Download Full-text