Efferent connections of the striatum in Tupinambis nigropunctatus

Abstract

AbstractThe striatum of the lizard Tupinambis nigropunctatus lies in the lateral wall of the telencephalon and consists of two major subdivisions: the dorsal striatum and the ventral striatum.Electrolytic lesions were placed in all parts of the striatal complex and in adjacent areas and the subsequent anterograde degeneration was studied using the Nauta‐Gygax and Fink‐Heimer techniques. Lesions in the dorsal striatum cause terminal degeneration in the ventral striatum both ipsi‐ and contralaterally. In addition, projections have been found to the lateral amygdaloid nucleus and to parts of the dorsal striatum not affected by the lesion. Following lesions in the ventral striatum fiber degeneration could always be observed in the ventral peduncle of the lateral forebrain bundle.Corresponding terminal degeneration was found in the anterior and posterior entopeduncular nuclei, the tegmentum mesencephali, the substantia nigra, the prerubral area, the mesencephalic central grey and the lateral cerebellar nucleus. When the large celled part of the ventral striatum was involved in the lesion additional degeneration could be traced to the nucleus rotundus via the dorsal peduncle of the lateral forebrain bundle.