Corticocortical projections to the prefrontal cortex in the rhesus monkey investigated with horseradish peroxidase techniques

The corticocortical afferents innervating the prefrontal cortex in the monkey were studied by means of the retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase. After injection of small amounts (0.3-0.5 microliter) of this enzyme into various parts of the prefrontal cortex, many labeled neurons (mostly pyramids of 15-25 microns in diameter) were found in various cortical regions of the ipsilateral hemisphere. A small part of the prefrontal cortex received fibers from other parts of the same cortex. For example, area 8 receives many fibers from both the rostral part of area 9 and a small area adjacent to the inferior branch of the arcuate sulcus. On the other hand, area 9 in the inferior prefrontal convexity receives fibers from localized parts of areas 8 and 9 in the dorsolateral convexity as well as from area 6. It is also apparent that association connections from the dorsolateral to the inferior convexity are stronger than those going in the opposite direction. The prefrontal afferents from other cortical regions include many fibers originating from the posterior association cortex as well as some fibers arising in the cingulate and orbital gyri. The prefrontal cortex does not receive direct corticocortical fibers from the motor and "primary" sensory cortices. There is a topographic pattern in the prefrontal projections from the cortical walls (STs area) surrounding the superior temporal sulcus. Thus, the caudal half of the STs area projects to area 8 and a small adjacent part of area 9. The dorsal wall of the rostral half of the STs area projects to areas 9-12, the fundus to the inferior convexity, and the ventral wall only to the caudal part of the convexity. Projections from the circumjacent association cortex of the STs area to the prefrontal cortex as well as to the STs area are likewise found to be topographically organized. This suggests that certain parts of the posterior association cortex projecting to particular areas of the prefrontal cortex, also send fibers to those parts of the STs area which project to the same prefrontal areas.

[1]  John Q. Trojanowski,et al.  Prefrontal granular cortex of the rhesus monkey. I. Intrahemispheric cortical afferents , 1977, Brain Research.

[2]  K. Kawamura,et al.  Corticocortical neurons projecting to the medial and lateral banks of the middle suprasylvian sulcus in the cat: An experimental study with the horseradish peroxidase method , 1980, The Journal of comparative neurology.

[3]  C. Rosenkilde,et al.  Functional heterogeneity of the prefrontal cortex in the monkey: a review. , 1979, Behavioral and neural biology.

[4]  J. Trojanowski,et al.  Prefrontal granular cortex of the rhesus monkey. II. Interhemispheric cortical afferents , 1977, Brain Research.

[5]  M. Karnovsky,et al.  THF EARLY STAGES OF ABSORPTION OF INJECTED HORSERADISH PEROXIDASE IN THE PROXIMAL TUBULES OF MOUSE KIDNEY: ULTRASTRUCTURAL CYTOCHEMISTRY BY A NEW TECHNIQUE , 1966, The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society.

[6]  S. Zeki,et al.  Convergent input from the striate cortex (area 17) to the cortex of the superior temporal sulcus in the rhesus monkey. , 1971, Brain research.

[7]  J Naito,et al.  Corticocortical connections of the cat sensory areas studied by means of retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase. , 1980, Archivum histologicum Japonicum = Nihon soshikigaku kiroku.

[8]  T. Powell,et al.  Connexions of the somatic sensory cortex of the rhesus monkey. II. Contralateral cortical connexions. , 1969, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[9]  Semir Zeki,et al.  The projections to the superior temporal sulcus from areas 17 and 18 in the rhesus monkey , 1976, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences.

[10]  D. Pandya,et al.  Intra- and interhemispheric projections of the precentral, premotor and arcuate areas in the rhesus monkey. , 1971, Brain research.

[11]  D. Pandya,et al.  Cortico-cortical connections in the rhesus monkey. , 1969, Brain research.

[12]  M. Mishkin,et al.  OCCIPITOTEMPORAL CORTICOCORTICAL CONNECTIONS IN THE RHESUS MONKEY. , 1965, Experimental neurology.

[13]  D. Pandya,et al.  Efferent cortico-cortical projections of the prefrontal cortex in the rhesus monkey. , 1971, Brain research.

[14]  M Hallett,et al.  Intra- and interhemispheric connections of the neocortical auditory system in the rhesus monkey. , 1969, Brain research.

[15]  D. Pandya,et al.  Afferent cortical connections and architectonics of the superior temporal sulcus and surrounding cortex in the rhesus monkey , 1978, Brain Research.

[16]  K. Kristensson,et al.  Retrograde axonal transport of protein. , 1971, Brain research.

[17]  Deepak N. Pandya,et al.  Further observations on corticofrontal connections in the rhesus monkey , 1976, Brain Research.

[18]  K. Kawamura,et al.  Corticocortical Afferents to the Cortex of the Middle Suprasylvian Sulcus Area in the Cat , 1976 .

[19]  H. Barbas,et al.  Organization of afferent input to subdivisions of area 8 in the rhesus monkey , 1981, The Journal of comparative neurology.

[20]  S. Zeki.  Cortical projections from two prestriate areas in the monkey. , 1971, Brain research.

[21]  J. Lavail,et al.  Retrograde Axonal Transport in the Central Nervous System , 1972, Science.

[22]  T. Powell,et al.  An anatomical study of converging sensory pathways within the cerebral cortex of the monkey. , 1970, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[23]  O. Creutzfeldt,et al.  Afferent and intrinsic organization of laminated structures in the brain , 1976 .

[24]  F Mauguiere,et al.  The duality of the cingulate gyrus in monkey. Neuroanatomical study and functional hypothesis. , 1980, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[25]  P. Streit,et al.  A new and sensitive staining method for axonally transported horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the pigeon visual system , 1977, Brain Research.

[26]  G. Bonin,et al.  The neocortex of Macaca mulatta , 1947 .

[27]  K. Rockland,et al.  Cortical connections of the occipital lobe in the rhesus monkey: Interconnections between areas 17, 18, 19 and the superior temporal sulcus , 1981, Brain Research.

[28]  A. Walker,et al.  A cytoarchitectural study of the prefrontal area of the macaque monkey , 1940 .