Hypothalamo-amygdaloid connections of cat's brain]

Under study were the afferent connections of the cat's amygdala nuclei with the hypothalamus (Nauta's method) in parallel with studying geometrical parameters of the afferent fibre endings in these nuclei by the Golgi method. It has been shown that the medial hypothalamus gives the beginning to a small amount of fibres running to the medial group of the amygdala nuclei; dissipated solitary fibres run to the large- and small-cellular parts of the basal nucleus. A considerable amount of fibres run from the lateral hypothalamus to the amygdala, mainly to the medial group of its nuclei and the anterior amygdalar area, only solitary fibres were followed in the basal nuclei. We failed to observe degenerated fibres from the medial preoptical area to the amygdale. The geometry of branches of these fibre systems in the amygdala nuclei was established: they all terminate as a compact but rarely branching brush.     

Afferent connections of the basolateral division of the amygdaloid complex of the cat brain

Injection of horseradish peroxidase into the basal macrocellular and lateral nuclei of the amygdaloid complex (BLAC) in the cat brain has revealed their rich thalamic afferentation. On the BLAC there are massive projections of: a) nuclei of the middle line of the precommissural pole of the dorsal thalamus (anterior parts of the paratenial, interanteromedial and reunial nuclei), as well as the whole anterior paraventricular nucleus, medial part of the ventral posteromedial nucleus; b) postcommissural nuclei of the dorsal thalamus; some "nonacustical" nuclei of the internal geniculate body (ventrolateral nucleus, medial and macrocellular parts and the most caudal end of the internal geniculate body). Rather essential are projections of the "posterior group nuclei", those of the suprageniculate nucleus, of some parts of the ventral thalamus (subparafascicular nucleus, marginal and peripeduncular nuclei) and parabrachial nucleus. Scattered single projections are obtained from all hypothalamic parts (most of all the ventromedial nucleus), reticular nuclei of the septum, substantia innominata, substantia nigra, truncal nuclei of the raphe. Variety of the dorsal thalamic nuclei, sending their fibers to the BLAC reflects variety of sensory information, that gets here, according to its modality, degree of its differentiation and integrity. A number of the dorsal thalamus nuclei, owing to abundance of labelled neurons, can be considered as special relay thalamic nuclei for the BLAC resembling corresponding relay nuclei for the new cortex.     

Effect of chronic ethanol consumption on basic carboxypeptidase activity in regions of the rat brain

It is discovered that chronic consumption of ethanol induced decrease of carboxypeptidase H activity in striatum by 27%; increase of carboxypeptidase M activity in hippocampus by 67% and decrease in cerebral hemispheres by 34%; phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride-inhibited carboxypeptidase activity increase in hypothalamus by 141%, in striatum by 60% and in optic and lamina quadrigemina by 34%. The role of basic carboxypeptidases in mechanisms of ethanol influence on the peptidergic systems are discussed.     

Effect of chloroform and ether narcosis on the activity of basic carboxypeptidases in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in rats

It is discovered that chloroform narcosis does not influence on carboxypeptidase H and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride-inhibited carboxypeptidase activity in the rats hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Ether narcosis provokes an increase of PMSF-inhibited carboxypeptidase activity in the pituitary body approximately in 8 times and carboxypeptidase H activity in hypothalamus by 29 percents in comparison with the intact animals. It is supposed that at research neuropeptides and their metabolism enzymes and especially the answer to a stress chloroform narcosis would be the better anaesthesia method than ether narcosis.     

Neurons of the human basal ganglia (striatum and basolateral amygdala) expressing the enzyme NADPH-d

In human striatum and basolateral amygdala NADPH-d+ neurons were revealed (after Vincent et al., 1983); and in striatum strio-cortical neurons were also revealed using DiI marker (after Dahtstrom and Belichenko, 1995). The NADPH-d+ neurons were numerous in both formations. Staining of NADPH-d+ neurons with their processes, and our previous study of striatal and amygdalar human neurons by Golgi method made it possible to identify the species of neurons with their assessment as sparsely or densely branched. The main efferent neurons of striatum and basolateral amygdala (densely branched medium spiny and bushy spiny, respectively) and their densely branched interneurons were not marked. Efferent NADPH-d+ neurons included the most numerous ones in both formations. A projection of reticular striatal neurons to cortex was also shown. The NADPH-d+ interneurons belonged to sparsely branched forms. In striatum they included slender-dendritic and long-dendritic bipolars (numerous), ordinary bipolars, twisted and large poor-dendritic cells; in amygdala--the same bipolars and radial cells. Thus, the NADPH-d positive cells in the formations under study were represented by more "ancient" or less structurally complex cell forms.     

Urokinase induces adhesion of monocytes to fibrinogen

Urokinase activates adhesion of monocytic U937 cells to fibrinogen-coated surface. This effect is due to urokinase proteolytic activity and does not depend on the urokinase binding to its receptor.     

Stages of formation of mobile phragmoplast in meiosis with successive cytokinesis

The paper presents previously undescribed abnormalities of phragmoplast formation in pollen mother cells of grass haploids and allohaploids (wide hybrids of the first generation). These abnormal phenotypes reveal and illustrate occasional unknown stages of phragmoplast formation in dividing plant cells and indicate the special regulation of their initiation, as well as confirm data on this process obtained by other approaches.     

The importance of the caudate-temporal chain in different forms of cognitive activity in animals

Destruction of associative caudato-temporal chain was shown to cause disorders in perceptive gnostic functions and thinking processes in freely behaving cats.     

Efferent connections of the striatum with the Ep field of the temporal cortex in the cat

When horseradish peroxidase was injected into the Ep area of the temporal cortex of 5 cats, the distribution of the labelled neurons in the strio-pallidum and in the nucleus of Meynert was similar in all the cases. In the striatum predominantly large cells (in the nucleus caudatus and in the putamen), as well as middle and small (in the putamen) cells were labelled. Comparing the form and size of the labelled cells in the striatum, revealed in Golgi preparations, it is possible to conclude that large labelled neurons correspond to long-axonal sparsely-branching reticular neurons, and middle and small--to long-axonal densely-branching dendroid "spinular" neurons. The large cells of the striatum can be considered as a part of a vast macrocellular ascending system of the forebrain, its preservation maintains the higher integrative functions of the brain.