Telencephalon of the lizard Gekko gecko (Linnaeus): some connections of the cortex and dorsal ventricular ridge.

Abstract

Interhemispheric connections of the telencephalon in the lizard, Gekko, were studied with anterograde degeneration methods following lesions variously placed in the medial, dorsal, and lateral cortices and/or the dorsal ventricular ridge (D.V.R.). After lesions involving dorsal cortex, the medial wall, and the DVR, the majority of degenerated fibers decussate in the hippocampal commissure and terminate in the septum, medial wall, dorsal cortex, and the lateral edge of the DVR contralaterally. Lesions confined to dorsal cortex result in a similar pattern of degeneration, while lesions confined to the lateral wall result in degeneration in the contralateral lateral cortex, DVR and striatum, mainly via the anterior commissure. Some variation has been reported on the pattern of interhemispheric projections among reptiles studied to date; two possible interpretations of the data are that (1) dorsal cortex may be homologous as a field to parts of both neocortex and the hippocampal formation of mammals or (2) only the lateral part of dorsal cortex may be homologous to neocortex.