Cortical projections arising from the basal forebrain: A study of cholinergic and noncholinergic components employing combined retrograde tracing and immunohistochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase
Abstract
The neurochemical identity of ascending putative cholinergic pathways from the rat basal forebrain was investigated employing a method for simultaneously visualizing choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity and retrogradely transported horseradish peroxidase-conjugated wheatgerm agglutinin. This histochemical procedure revealed three distinct populations of neurons: (1) cells which stained only for choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity; (2) cells which stained only for retrograde tracer and (3) cells which stained simultaneously for choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity and retrograde tracer. The results demonstrated that this projection is topographically organized and consists of both cholinergic and noncholinergic components. The relative contribution of each component varied with the telencephalic target area as follows: the olfactory bulb receives a projection from cells of the horizontal limb nucleus, 10-20% of which are cholinergic (Ch3); the hippocampal formation receives afferents from cells of the medial septal and vertical limb nuclei, 35-45% of which are cholinergic (Ch1 and Ch2); and the cortical mantle receives afferents primarily from cells within the substantia innominata-nucleus basalis complex, 80-90% of which are cholinergic (Ch4). The topographical organization of Ch4 projections is not as completely differentiated as we have previously observed in the primate.
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The entire cortex and hippocampus are innervated by cholinergic projections that originate from several regions in the basal forebrain.
“The entire cortex and hippocampus are innervated by cholinergic projections that originate from several regions in the basal forebrain (Rye et al, 1984; Lysakowski et al, 1989; Mesulam et al, 1992; Kitt et al, 1994).”
From Modes and models of forebrain cholinergic neuromodulation of cognition (2011) · cites this paper as Rye et al, 1984
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- Authors
- Rye, D. B., Wainer, B. H., Mesulam, M.-M., Mufson, E. J., & Saper, C. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wainer, B.H.
- Venue
- Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1984-11
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 627-643
- ISSN
- 0306-4522 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2072538942
- Cited by
- 743
- References
- 67
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 10.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM007281)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cholinesterase and Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Keywords
- basal forebrain, cholinergic projections, choline acetyltransferase, retrograde tracing, wheat germ agglutinin, olfactory bulb, hippocampal formation, substantia innominata, nucleus basalis of Meynert, medial septum, topographic organization, cortical afferents, rats
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Choline O-Acetyltransferase, Cholinergic Fibers, Diencephalon, Histocytochemistry, Male, Neural Pathways, Rats, Inbred Strains, Telencephalon, Rats
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