Choline Acetyltransase-Like Immunoreactive Neurons in Cholinergic Cortical Projection Neuron Areas of the Basal Forebrain in the Hen

The distribution of cholineacetyltransase-like immunoreactive(ChAT-LI)neurons in the basal forebrain cholinergic cortical neuron areas in the hen was studied by using the technique of immunohistochemistry SP.The results showed that a continuum of ChAT-LI neurons were distributed in the medial septal nucleus(MS),nuclei of diagonal band,vertical and horizonal divisions(NDBV/H),nucleus basalis of Meynert(NBM),but the density,size and staining of neurons in respectively areas weren′t even.In MS,NDBV/H and paleostriatum augmentatum(PSA),the neurons were high density and the dendrite were obviously detected,but the neurons were sparsely distributed in the paleostriatum primitivum(PSP).The above results demonstrate that the ChAT-LI neurons were widely distributed in the basal forebrain cholinergic cortical neurons areas in the hen,which accumulate the materials for the projection system of basal forebrain to hippocampus in the hen and suggest that basalforebrain cholinergic cortical areas play an important role in modulation of the learning and memory.