The shell region of the nucleus ovoidalis: a subdivision of the avian auditory thalamus.

The connectivity of a region surrounding the established thalamic auditory nuclei, n. ovoidalis (Ov) and n. semilunaris parovoidalis (SPO), was explored in the ring dove by using the anterograde tracers, Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHAL) and biocytin, and the retrograde tracer, fluorogold. The Ov-SPO surround received a projection from a cell group along the interface of the auditory midbrain and the n. intercollicularis, as revealed with PHAL and biocytin, and was composed of neurons exhibiting a common morphology. These features and the presence of overlapping projections from different portions of the Ov-SPO surround suggest that this region comprises a functionally discrete area, which we term the Ov shell. Single unit recording within the shell established the existence of acoustically responsive units. Both PHAL and fluorogold labeling revealed a robust projection from the Ov shell to the caudomedial hypothalamus. Major telencephalic projections of the shell terminated within the ventral paleostriatal complex, "end-zones" of the field L, the caudomedial hyperstriatum ventrale, and regions immediately dorsal and lateral to the auditory neostriatum. Except for a portion of the shell bordering medial ovoidalis, PHAL injections into the shell also labeled fibers within the caudolateral neostriatum and along the lateral neostriatal rim. The connectivity of the Ov shell suggests that this region may integrate auditory pathways with brain regions associated with endocrine mediated behavior. In addition, the shell may constitute a source of converging input to several levels of central auditory pathways.