Journal of chemical neuroanatomy
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J. Chem. Neuroanat. · Oct 2008
Comparative StudyThalamic nuclei in the opossum Monodelphis domestica.
We investigated nuclear divisions of the thalamus in the gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) to gain detailed information for further developmental and comparative studies. Nissl and myelin staining, histochemistry for acetylcholinesterase and immunohistochemistry for calretinin and parvalbumin were performed on parallel series of sections. Many features of the Monodelphis opossum thalamus resemble those in Didelphis and small eutherians showing no particular sensory specializations, particularly in small murid rodents. ⋯ The medial geniculate body consists of three nuclei (medial, dorsal and ventral) that are cytoarchitectonically distinct and stain differentially for parvalbumin. The relatively large size of the MG and LGNd points to specialization of the visual and auditory systems in the Monodelphis opossum. In contrast to rodents, the lateral dorsal and lateral posterior nuclei in the opossum are poorly differentiated cytoarchitectonically.