Organization of the habenulo-interpeduncular connections in cats: A horseradish peroxidase study

Abstract

The afferent fiber connections to the interpenduncular (IP) complex were demonstrated by the retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in cats. The HRP was injected into each nucleus of the IP complex, that is the central nucleus (IPC), the paramedian nucleus (IPP), the apical nucleus (IPA), and the posterior nucleus (IPN) including the outer division (IPO) and the inner division (IPI), and surrounding areas of the IP complex, using a ventral or dorsal surgical approaches. Most of the labeled neurons were in the medial habenular nucleus (MH) and each of the sub-nuclei of the IP complex was related to a specific part of the MH. Thus, the mediodorsal part of MH projected to the IPC, the medioventral part of MH projected to the IPI, the laterodorsal part of MH projected to the IPA, and the lateroventral part of MH projected to the IPP and the IPO. There were a few labeled cells in the accessory dorsal tegmental nucleus, the nucleus raphe dorsalis (RD), the nucleus centralis superior, the nucleus of the locus coeruleus, the gray matter of the floor of the fourth ventricle, and the nucleus of diagonal band of Broca, but there were no obvious patterns in the projections of these nuclei to the different sub-nuclei of the IP complex. When the area of the HRP injection involved the midbrain reticular formation adjacent to the IP complex and the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (RT) but not the IP complex itself, there were many labeled cells in the lateral habenular nucleus and the medial and lateral mammillary nuclei, but there were no labeled cells in the medial habenular nucleus.