The “Neostriatum” Develops as Part of the Lateral Pallium in Birds

Abstract

Telencephalic organization in birds is so unusual that many homologies between avian and mammalian telencephalic areas remain controversial. Particularly contested is the avian "neostriatum," which has historically been homologized to either mammalian striatum, lateral neocortex, or endopiriform claustrum. Because homologies between these adult structures have been so difficult to resolve, we have begun to examine how telencephalic development diverges between birds and other vertebrates. To this end, biotinylated dextran was injected into the lateral telencephalon of chick embryos at 3 d of incubation, and the distribution of labeled cells was examined up to 14 d later. The data show that a definite boundary to cellular migration develops just ventral to the neostriatum between 5 and 8 d of incubation. Labeled polyclones within the neostriatum stretch from the ventricular zone to the brain surface and exhibit an increasingly rostrocaudal orientation as development proceeds. Individual polyclones contribute cells to several of the distinct auditory, visual, somatosensory, and olfactory regions within the neostriatum. A comparative analysis suggests that the avian neostriatum develops from a precursor region that in other vertebrates gives rise to olfactory cortex and, when present, to other components of the piriform lobe, such as the endopiriform claustrum and basolateral amygdala. Conclusions about lateral pallial homologies between birds and mammals remain uncertain, however, primarily because so little is known about the development of the lateral pallium in mammals. This lacuna might be filled by applying to mammals the novel fate-mapping method described in the present paper.