Faculty Bibliography

The peripheral retina of the sea lamprey develops in a 5-year-long process in which only certain neurons differentiate each year. The growth of cell layers, the differentiation of the neurons, and the morphology of their dendrites and axons were studied with normal, HRP, and Golgi preparations. Ganglion cells are differentiated in 3-year-old larvae, amacrine and horizontal cells in 4-year-old larvae, photoreceptor cells in stage I transformers, and bipolar cells in stage III transformers. Each new development is expressed as a radial gradient of differentiation. As a result of this protracted and stepped process, lamprey retinal neurons, particularly ganglion cells, differentiate in the absence of other cells to which they will ultimately be connected and may express their individual genetic programs more fully than in other vertebrate retinas. This could account for the unusual relationship of the ganglion cell, inner plexiform, and optic nerve layers and for the very high ratio of displaced to orthotopic ganglion cells

Horseradish peroxidase injections into the medulla of tadpoles demonstrate, by back-filling, efferent neurons in the torus semicircularis which project to the ipsilateral superior olive. This projection, as well as one to the vicinity of the efferent neurons of the contralateral VIII and lateral line nerves, is confirmed by tracing anterograde transport following HRP injections into the torus semicircularis. These efferent neurons, located primarily in the principal nucleus of the torus within the terminal field of the projection from the superior olive, represent the only reported descending path to the superior olive and efferent nuclei in a non-mammalian vertebrate

The transition from aquatic to terrestrial hearing in the frog occurs during metamorphosis and during the disappearance of the lateral line system. The coincidence in time of these two processes and morphological similarities between the acoustic and lateral line systems has led to the suggestion (Larsell, '34) that the lateral line nuclei are transformed into the acoustic nuclei. The relation between the acoustic and lateral line systems was investigated by studying the distribution of primary afferents, the dendritic patterns of the cells in the primary nuclei, and the development of the nuclei in the premetamorphic bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. The posterior and anterior lateral line roots distribute to a neuropil located medial to the dorsal medullary nucleus. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injections into the contralateral tegmentum fill cells in the periventricular region whose dendrites ramify within the neuropil. These cells constitute the lateral line nuclei. The amphibian and basilar papillary roots of the acoustic system distribute to the more lateral nuclear region. The dendrites of these cells arborize within the nucleus and not in the lateral line neuropil. The dorsal medullary nucleus is, therefore, the acoustic nucleus (AcN). [3H]-thymidine labeling reveals that newly generated cells occupy the AcN within a few hours of their formation throughout the period when anatomical analysis shows the parallel growth and diminution of the lateral line neuropil and nuclei. This study indicates that the lateral line and acoustic systems are morphologically independent at the level of the primary afferents and primary nuclei throughout early development.

The torus semicircularis (TS) of the Tegu lizard extends from the superficial caudal mesencephalon, dorsal to the exiting trochlear nerve, to a position ventral to the middle part of the optic tectum and its ventricle. It has an oblique orientation with the caudal pole abutting the midline while the rostal end is lateral and slightly ventral. The TS consists of a central nucleus and several adjacent cell groups. The central nucleus and the laminar nucleus, situated medially, extend the entire length of the TS while the cortical nucleus, situated dorsally and laterally, is present only in the caudal superficial portion. The central nucleus is composed of ovoid neurons with branched, radiating dendrites. The dendrites are directed medially and laterally with spines on the distal portion of the dendritic tree. The laminar nucleus consists of three to five neuronal layers. It is mainly composed of fusiform neurons with one dendritic trunk from each extremity of the soma. There is little branching and few dendritic spines. The cortical nucleus is a laminated region consisting of alternating layers of neurons and lateral lemniscal fibers. The neurons of the superficial layers are fusiform with their long axis perpendicular to the long axis of the brainstem. They possess two main dendritic trunks which parallel the laminae and are covered with dendritic spines. The deeper layers consist of pyramidal neurons with three dendritic trunks, secondary branches, and few spines. The long axis of these neurons extends from the center of the TS to the periphery. Two dendritic trunks extend dorsally or laterally towards the surface, while the third extends towards the central nucleus. The dendrites, thus, extend across the laminae. In addition, a cell-free lateral zone is described.

Unilateral enucleations were performed on larval, transforming and adult sea lampreys. Following 5 to 11 days survival, the animals were sacrificed and the brains were processed using a modified Fink-Heimer technique. In larvae, contralateral optic projections were found to the posterior one-third of the dorsal thalamus, the pretectum, and the optic tectum. No ipsilateral projections were present in the larvae. In enucleated transforming and adult lampreys, degenerating axons were observed in the optic chiasm and bilaterally in the optic tracts. Retinal efferents projected bilaterally to a lateral neuropil region ("tractus opticus") in the posterior one-half of the dorsal thalamus. Contralaterally, a conspicuous dorsomedial cell group (lateral geniculate nucleus) also received a projection. Contralateral projections to the superficial layers of the pretectum and optic tectum were observed. Ipsilateral retinal projections to the pretectum and optic tectum in transforming and adult lampreys were restricted to a small zone at the ventrolateral margins of the pretectum and tectum. The changes in distribution of retinofugal projections during transformation appear to be occurring at the same time that the eye differentiates into its adult form.