LHA Cytoarchitecture

LHA parcellation (from Swanson '03)

According to the atlas, the LHA lies within the hypothalamic lateral zone, which can be divided into 'state related' (LZs) and 'motor related' (LZm) regions. The LZs has only one component cell group, the LHAd. The LZm can be further divided into the LPO and the LHA. The LHAmo contains all of the lateral zone except the LPO and LHAd, and all of the LHA except LHAd. The cell groups with the LHAmo are: the juxtaparaventricular (LHAjp), juxtaventromedial (LHAjv), anterior (LHAa), suprafornical (LHAs), subfornical (LHAsf), magnicellular (LHAm), parvicellular (LHApc), ventral (LHAv) and posterior (LHAp) regions. Four of these are further divided into several zones or parts. 


Hypothalamic Lateral Zone = LZs + LZm

LZs = LHAd

LZm = LPO + LHAmo

LHAmo = LHAjp + LHAjv + LHAa + LHAs + LHAsf + LHAm + LHApc + LHAv + LHAp

The atlas description and annotations are below. The atlas page where the info can be found is shown in red and the annotation number in italics. Citations are listed at the end but can also be found in the atlas' Reference section.

p. 173

     169: LHAd: distinct cell sparse region at the rostrocaudal level of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (personal observations). Highest concentration of MCH & H/O

Note: the LHAd is listed under LZs: Hypothalamic lateral zone, state related. LZs has only one part

p. 175

263: LZm = Hypothalamic lateral zone, motor-related = LPO  and all LHA except LHAd; "often thought of as an interstitial nucleus of the medial forebrain bundle, and the rostral end of the reticular formation (see Nauta and Haymaker, 1969)

   265: LHAmo = Lateral hypothalamic area, motor related = everything except LPO.

     266: LHAjp - small, moderately-densely packed neurons lies rostral to, and is distinct from, the PHHjd

     267: LHAjd - this region is quite distinct due to a high density of small to medium-sized neurons

    268: LHAjv (juxtaventromedial region; jvd, jvv,), LHAa (ad, ai, av):  distinguished by a lower density of neurons than is found in all surrounding areas. A dorsal zone receives a circumscribed input from the posterior basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (Petrovich et al., 2001) and is slightly less dense than a ventral zone. Note: Despite being listed in the same LHA division, the LHAa does not receive an input from the BLAp

     269: RCH: Swanson and Kuypers 1980. nucleus supraopticus diffusus of Gurdjian ('27)

     270: TU: Canteras et al. 1994. TUte from Petrovich et al., 2001, derived from Paxinos & Watson 1986. The TUl is frankly parvicellular and obviously corresponds to the traditional lateral tuberal nucleus, including a small protrusion on the base of the hypothalamus (Nauta & Haymaker, 1969)

     271: LHAs - Cytoarchitecture similar to LHAjd, but there tend to be more neurons that are larger, and the cell density is somewhat greater

     272: LHAsfa, sfp - Goto et al. 2001, 2004. The vertical and horizontal limbs of this region have clear cytoarchitectural differences

     274: LHAm - Paxinos and Watson '86

References Cited:

Canteras, N. S., R. B. Simerly, et al. (1994). "Organization of projections from the ventromedial and tuberal nuclei of the hypothalamus: A PHAL study in the rat." J Comp Neurol 348: 41-79.

Goto, M., L. W. Swanson, et al. (2001). "Connections of the nucleus incertus." J Comp Neurol 438(1): 86-122.

Goto, M., N. S. Canteras, et al. (2005). "Projections from the subfornical region of the lateral hypothalamic area." J Comp Neurol 493(3): 412-438.

Gurdjian, E. S. (1927). "The diencephalon of the albino rat." J. Comp. Neurol. 43: 1-114.

Haymaker, W., E. Anderson, et al. (1969). The Hypothalamus. Springfield, Ill.,, Thomas.

Paxinos, G. and C. Watson (1986). The rat brain in stereotaxic coordinates. Sydney, Academic Press.

Petrovich, G. D., N. S. Canteras, et al. (2001). "Combinatorial amygdalar inputs to hippocampal domains and hypothalamic behavior systems." Brain Res Brain Res Rev 38(1-2): 247-289.

Swanson, L. W. and H. G. Kuypers (1980). "A direct projection from the ventromedial nucleus and retrochiasmatic area of the hypothalamus to the medulla and spinal cord of the rat." Neuroscience letters 17(3): 307-312.