Efferent connections of the main olfactory bulb in the opossum (Monodelphis domestica): a characterization of the olfactory entorhinal cortex in a marsupial.

Olfactory projections have been investigated for decades, but few reports using modern, sensitive neural tracers are available. In marsupials, only lesion-degeneration studies exist and they are restricted to the genera Didelphis and Trichosurus. Some of the territories described as olfactory-recipient such as the upper portion of the rhinal fissure and the vomeronasal amygdala are, however, controversial. Also, the characterization of the olfactory portion of the entorhinal cortex is far from clear in acallosal mammals. The present report investigates, using biotinylated dextran-amine, the olfactory connections in the short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) and characterizes the olfactory portion of the entorhinal cortex in non-placental mammals. The data indicate that olfactory projections do not reach the upper portion of the rhinal fissure, but partially end in the vomeronasal amygdala, i.e., the medial and posteromedial cortical amygdaloid nuclei; thus, although olfactory and vomeronasal system have largely segregated outputs, areas of overlap should be restudied. The olfactory portion of the entorhinal cortex is much larger than previously described, extending up to the occipital pole of the cerebral hemisphere. Collectively, these data contribute to our understanding of the organization of the hippocampal formation in marsupials.