The morphological development of the inferior colliculus in a marsupial, the Northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus).

Abstract

As a part of a project concerning the development of hearing, some features of the morphological development of the inferior colliculus were studied in a marsupial, the Northern quoll or native cat (Dasyurus hallucatus). Marsupials are of particular interest in developmental studies because much embryonic development occurs outside the uterus, in the pouch. Nissl-stained material was prepared from pouch-young at various ages between 11 and 81 days, and for a number of adults. Four pouch-young were injected with tritiated thymidine and killed later during pouch life. The inferior colliculus is first recognizable in pouch-young aged 23 days, when it is bordered by a cell-sparse ring of tissue. By this time, the labelling patterns following injections of tritiated thymidine made on days 7-9 suggest that migration of cells to the inferior colliculus from the ventricular germinal zone has been largely completed. At 81 days, close to the time when the young move out of the pouch, the adult cytoarchitecture--a central nucleus flanked by dorsal and lateral cortical regions--is clear. Cell areas expand monotonically as a function of age. The period of days 45-50 is associated with a large expansion of cell volume and a concomitant decrease in packing density. It is likely that functional connections are forming during this period, which may herald the onset of hearing in the quoll. Total cell numbers increase to a peak at day 36, fall to a minimum at day 50, and rise again to the adult value. The second increase is likely to be a phase of glial proliferation, in part associated with the onset of myelination. This increase correlates with departure of the young from the pouch.