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Tract‐Tracing in Rhesus Macaques Reveals Anatomical Connectivity of the Posterior Cingulate Cortex and Medial Temporal Lobe
Author(s) -
Drake Olivia Rose,
Monko Megan,
Casta Tanya,
Heilbronner Sarah
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.791.4
Subject(s) - neuroscience , temporal lobe , entorhinal cortex , macaque , default mode network , posterior cingulate , temporal cortex , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , psychology , cortex (anatomy) , cingulate cortex , functional connectivity , hippocampal formation , psychiatry , central nervous system , epilepsy
Brain connectivity often correlates to function, and the understanding of connectivity may also lend itself to bettering the diagnoses and treatments of psychological disorders. One brain network that is often disrupted in psychological disorders such as Alzheimer's and depression is the default mode network (DMN). The exact function of the DMN is disputed. It is well known that areas within the DMN are functionally correlated, but whether they have anatomical connections remains less clear. Using tract‐tracing in rhesus macaques, we investigated the connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a primary node in the DMN, and the medial temporal lobe (MTL). The activity in these areas has previously been found to be abnormal in those with disorders, such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, depression, and autism. We found that these areas do have axonal connections to each other, primarily between the PCC and the entorhinal cortex of the MTL. Our findings offer information about the exact function of the DMN and could lead to a target for treatment of some disorders. These results can also be used to compare macaque to rat brain connectivity to determine whether rats are an appropriate DMN model for humans. Support or Funding Information Sponsored by NIH NINDS 2R25 NS083059‐06 University of Minnesota Summer Research in Neuroscience PIs: Dr. Robert Meisel & Dr. Timothy Ebner This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .