Nuclear organisation of cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic and orexinergic neurons in two relatively large-brained rodent species —The springhare (Pedetes capensis) and Beecroft’s scaly-tailed Squirrel (Anomalurus beecrofti)

Publication date: Available online 13 September 2017 Source:Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy Author(s): Jordan Sweigers, Adhil Bhagwandin, Muhammad A. Spocter, Consolate Kaswera-Kyamakya, Emmanuel Gilissen, Paul R. Manger, Busisiwe C. Maseko The present study describes the nuclear organization of the cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic and orexinergic systems in the brains of the springhare and Beecroft’s scaly-tailed squirrel following immunohistochemical labelling. We aimed to investigate any differences in the nuclear organization of these neural systems when compared to previous data on other species of rodents, as these two rodent species have relatively large brains − 1.2 to 1.4 times larger than would be expected for mammals of their body mass and 1.7–1.9 times larger than would be expected for rodents of their body mass. A series of coronal sections were taken through two brains of each species and immunohistochemically labelled with antibodies against choline acetyltransferase, tyrosine hydroxylase, serotonin and orexin-A. Generally, the nuclear complement of these systems revealed extensive similarities between both species and to previously studied rodents. While no differences were observed in the nuclear complement of the serotonergic and orexinergic systems, some differences were observed in the nuclear complement of the cholinergic and catecholaminergic systems. These include the presence of cholinergic neurons in the cerebral cortex and...
Source: Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research