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The Nigrostriatal Pathway: Axonal Collateralization and Compartmental Specificity

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Birth, Life and Death of Dopaminergic Neurons in the Substantia Nigra

Part of the book series: Journal of Neural Transmission. Supplementa ((NEURALTRANS,volume 73))

Abstract

This paper reviews two of the major features of the nigrostriatal pathway, its axonal collateralization, and compartmental specificity, as revealed by single-axon labeling experiments in rodents and immunocytological analysis of human postmortem tissue. The dorsal and ventral tiers of the substantia nigra pars compacta harbor various types of neurons the axons of which branch not only within the striatum but also in other major components of the basal ganglia. Furthermore, some nigrostriatal axons send collaterals both to thalamus and to brainstem pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. In humans, the compartmental specificity of the nigrostriatal pathway is revealed by the fact that the matrix compartment is densely innervated by dopaminergic fibers, whereas the striosomes display different densities of dopaminergic terminals depending on their location within the striatum. The nigral neurons most severely affected in Parkinson's disease are the ventral tier cells that project to the matrix and form deep clusters in the substantia nigra pars reticulata.

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Abbreviations

A:

Anterior

ac:

Anterior commissure

CB:

Calbindin

CC:

Corpus callosum

CN:

Caudate nucleus

cp:

Cerebral peduncle

CPu:

Caudate-putamen

D:

Dorsal

DA:

Dopaminergic

ENK:

Enkephalin

EP:

Entopeducular nucleus

FF:

Fields of Forel

Fr 2:

Frontal cortex, area 2

FStr:

Fundus striate

GP:

Globus pallidus

ic:

Internal capsule

ir:

Immunoreactive

L:

Lateral

LAMP:

Limbic system-associated membrane protein

LPB:

Lateral parabrachial nucleus

LV:

Lateral ventricle

M:

Striatal matrix compartment

ml:

Medial lemniscus

MPB:

Medial parabrachial nucleus

MPTP:

N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine

MT:

Medial terminal nucleus of the accessory optic tract

NADPH-d:

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reduced-diaphorase

PC:

Paracentral thalamic nucleus

PD:

Parkinson's disease

PnO:

Pontine reticular nucleus

Put:

Putamen

RN:

Red nucleus

RRF:

Retrorubral field

S:

Striosome

SS:

Subcallosal streak

scp:

Superior cerebellar peduncle

SNc:

Substantia nigra pars compacta

SNr:

Substantia nigra pars reticulata

SS:

Subcallosal streak

STN:

Subthalamic nucleus

SubI:

Subincertal nucleus

Th:

Thalamus

TH:

Tyrosine hydroxylase

VL:

Ventrolateral thalamic nucleus

VM:

Ventromedial thalamic nucleus

VTA:

Ventral tegmental area

ZI:

Zona incerta

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Spanish Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Expte: PI070199).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28029, Madrid, Spain

    L Prensa & J M Giménez-Amaya

  2. Centre de recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard 2601, de la Canardière, Beauport, Québec, Canada, G1J 2G3

    A Parent

  3. Laboratorio de Neuromorfología Funcional, Clínica Universitaria. Universidad de Navarra, 31008, Pamplona, Spain

    J Bernácer

  4. Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, 31008, Pamplona, Spain

    C Cebrián

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  1. L Prensa
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  2. J M Giménez-Amaya
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  5. C Cebrián
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Correspondence to L Prensa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Palermo, Corso Tukory 129, Palermo, 90134, Italy

    Giuseppe Giovanni

  2. Mario Negri, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche, Via Nazionale 8, Santa Maria Imbaro, 66030, Italy

    Vincenzo Di Matteo

  3. Mario Negri, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche, Via Nazionale 8, Santa Maria Imbaro, 66030, Italy

    Ennio Esposito

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Prensa, L., Giménez-Amaya, J.M., Parent, A., Bernácer, J., Cebrián, C. (2009). The Nigrostriatal Pathway: Axonal Collateralization and Compartmental Specificity. In: Giovanni, G., Di Matteo, V., Esposito, E. (eds) Birth, Life and Death of Dopaminergic Neurons in the Substantia Nigra. Journal of Neural Transmission. Supplementa, vol 73. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-92660-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-92660-4_4

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