A quantitative approach to cytoarchitectonics. VIII. The areal pattern of the cortex of the albino mouse

Abstract

The cerebral cortex of the albino mouse was examined by means of a quantitative method. An image analyzer was used in conjunction with an automatic scanning procedure to determine the grey level index in Nissl-stained sections. Computer plots of various ranges of grey level indices enabled delineation of cortical areas, from which cortical maps were graphically reconstructed. The cortical areal pattern is, in some regions, similar to the commonly used map of Caviness (1975) but differs considerably in other regions, especially in the temporal one. Furthermore, the primary visual cortex of the mouse was shown to be composed of two distinct cytoarchitectonic areas. The results of the study are discussed with respect to the literature on anatomical and functional localizations in the mouse cerebral cortex.