Structural-Functional Organization and Genoarchitectonics of the Medial Amygdaloid Nucleus of the Telencephalon

Abstract

This review provides the first summary of the literature from the last decade characterizing the cytoarchitectonics, neuronal organization, and electron microscopic characteristics of neurons in the medial nucleus (MN) of the amygdala (A) of the telencephalon and the representation within it of neurotransmitter systems. Data are presented evidencing the involvement of the MN in functional processes linked with instinctive behavior – feeding, aggressive-defensive, and reproductive – whose realization is mediated by the hypothalamus. Data on the genoarchitectonics of this nucleus show that the MN is formed as a derivative of subpallial (anterior geniculate area), pallial (ventral pallium), and extratelencephalic (preoptic area) progenitor domains. The multiplicity and diversity of histogenetic domains involved in forming the MN provide evidence of complex multistage occurring in the A during evolutionary processes.