Organization of connections between the amygdaloid complex and the perirhinal and parahippocampal cortices in macaque monkeys

Neuroanatomical studies in macaque monkeys have demonstrated that the perirhinal and parahippocampal (PRPH) cortices are strongly interconnected with the hippocampal formation. Recent behavioral evidence indicates that these cortical regions are importantly involved in normal recognition memory function. The PRPH cortices are also interconnected with the amygdaloid complex, although comparatively little is known about the precise topography of these connections. We investigated the topographic organization of reciprocal connections between the amygdala and the PRPH cortices by placing anterograde and retrograde tracers throughout these three regions. We found that there was an organized arrangement of connections between the amygdala and the PRPH cortices and that the deep (lateral, basal, and accessory basal) nuclei of the amygdaloid complex were the source of most connections between the amygdala and the PRPH cortices. The temporal polar regions of the perirhinal cortex had the strongest and most widespread interconnections with the amygdala. Connections from more caudal levels of the perirhinal cortex had a more discrete pattern of termination. Perirhinal inputs to the amygdala terminated primarily in the lateral nucleus, the magnocellular and parvicellular divisions of the basal nucleus, and the magnocellular division of the accessory basal nucleus. Return projections originated predominately in the lateral nucleus, the intermediate and parvicellular divisions of the basal nucleus, and the magnocellular division of the accessory basal nucleus. The interconnections between the amygdala and the parahippocampal cortex were substantially less robust than those with the perirhinal cortex and mainly involved the basal nucleus. Area TF was more strongly interconnected with the amygdala than was area TH. Input from the parahippocampal cortex terminated predominantly in the lateral half of the parvicellular division of the basal nucleus but also to a lesser extent in the magnocellular division of the basal nucleus and the lateral nucleus. Return projections originated predominantly in the magnocellular division of the basal nucleus and were directed almost exclusively to area TF.