Chemical neuroanatomy of the substantia nigra in the ovine brain

Abstract

The substantia nigra is an integral component of the basal ganglia circuitry for limbic and motor functions. Dysfunction and degeneration of the basal ganglia are fundamental aspects of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. With the increasing use of sheep to model neurological diseases, it is crucial to understand the anatomy and neurochemistry of these key basal ganglia nuclei in the normal sheep brain and how they compare to the human brain. Therefore, studies of the gross anatomy, cellular morphology, and neurochemical expression patterns within the sheep substantia nigra were performed. We show that the sheep substantia nigra reflects all important aspects of the anatomy and neurochemistry of the human substantia nigra, with only minor inter-species differences evident. Many neurochemicals that are central to the functioning of the SN, and wider basal ganglia circuitry, are present throughout the sheep SN. In a wider context, the results of this study provide evidence that the sheep substantia nigra accurately reflects the anatomy of the human substantia nigra, which validates the use of sheep models of basal ganglia neurological disorders.