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Some observations on the ultrastructure of the amygdala

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Summary

An electron microscopic study of the lateral and medial nuclei of the amygdala was undertaken as the first step towards establishing a basis for an experimental investigation of the afferent projections to the amygdaloid complex.

The ultrastructural features of the two nuclei are, in general, similar. However two differences deserve mention. First, in the medial nucleus it was observed that frequently at least half the soma membrane was in apposition with glial processes. Secondly, dendritic spines were more frequently seen in the lateral nucleus. These differences may be related to the different phylogenetic origin of the two cell groups.

Boutons “en passant” are a common feature in both nuclei.

Most of the synaptic knobs could be assigned, on the basis of their vesicle content, to one of the following groups: 1. round to oval vesicles, uniform in size; 2. round to oval vesicles, varying in size; 3. predominantly flattened vesicles; and 4. predominantly dark core vesicles. At present there is not sufficient data concerning the afferents of the amygdala to allow any correlation of these four bouton types with the different incoming fibre projections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Elizabeth Hall

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  1. Elizabeth Hall
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Additional information

The major part of this investigation was carried out at the Anatomical Institute, University of Oslo, Norway and was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council of Canada.

The author wishes to express her appreciation to Dr. Th. Blackstad for his advice and guidance.

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Hall, E. Some observations on the ultrastructure of the amygdala. Z. Zellforsch. 92, 169–185 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335645

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335645

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