Given that Foxp2, Pbx3 and Meis2 are preferentially expressed in distinct cell populations in the developing striatum, and that the intercalated cell masses of the amygdala appear to be a ventrocaudal expansion of the striatum, the intercalated neurons may share a common origin with some types of neurons located in the dorsal striatum. (C) 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“We have shown that auditory cortex projects to cholinergic cells in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) and laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT).

PPT and LDT are the sources of cholinergic FK506 mw projections to the inferior colliculus, but it is not known if the cortical inputs contact the cholinergic cells that project to the inferior colliculus. We injected FluoroRuby into auditory cortex in pigmented guinea pigs to label cortical projections to PPT and LDT. In the same animals, we injected Fast Blue into the left or right inferior colliculus to label PPT and LDT cells that project to the inferior colliculus. We processed the brain to identify cholinergic cells with an GSK690693 mw antibody to choline acetyltransferase, which was visualized with a green fluorescent marker distinguishable from both FluoroRuby and Fast Blue. We then examined the PPT and LDT to determine whether boutons of FluoroRuby-labeled cortical axons were in close contact with cells that were double-labeled

with the retrograde tracer and the immunolabel. Apparent contacts were observed ipsilateral and, less often, contralateral to the injected cortex. On both sides, the contacts were more numerous in PPT than in LDT. The results indicate that auditory cortex projects directly to brainstem cholinergic cells that innervate the ipsilateral secondly or contralateral inferior colliculus. This suggests that cortical projections could elicit cholinergic effects on both sides of the auditory midbrain. (C) 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Adult

neurogenesis occurs in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus, where primary neuronal progenitors that express glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) develop into granule neurons. Here, we used transgenic mice with mouse GFAP promoter-controlled enhanced green fluorescent protein (mGFAP-EGFP Tg mice) to examine how astrocyte-like progenitors differentiate into neuron-committed progenitors. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) analysis indicated that proliferating cells in the neurogenic SGZ transiently expressed EGFP and GFAP, and finally differentiated into cells positive for the neuronal marker, Hu (Hu+). Most proliferating EGFP+ cells showed expression of the stem cell marker, Sox2, and formed clusters of two to four cells containing GFAP+/EGFP+ and GFAP-/EGFP+ cells. No GFAP-/EGFP+ cells were detected in non-neurogenic regions, such as CA1 and CA3 of the pyramidal cell layer.