Development of the lateral amygdaloid nucleus in the human fetus: transient presence of discrete cytoarchitectonic units.

The cytoarchitectonic development of the lateral amygdaloid nucleus has been studied on Nissl-stained sections through brains of human fetuses ranging between 11 to 24 weeks of gestation. The first sign of cytoarchitectonic inhomogeneity of the lateral amygdaloid nucleus is the appearance of 2-3 ovoid cell clusters around 12 weeks of gestation. Between 12.5-16 weeks of gestation, the ventral part of the lateral amygdaloid nucleus contains 7-11 columnar cell clusters separated by "septa" of lower cell-packing density. These columnar clusters, stretching in the rostrocaudal direction, appear on cross-section as ovoid structures elongated in the ventrodorsal direction. In subsequent development (16-24 weeks of gestation) this distinct columnar appearance becomes less obvious, owing to the disappearance of "septa" along the dorsal edges of cellular clusters. This process begins first in the medial part of the columnar field. As a result, the cytoarchitectonic units gradually fuse into a homogeneous grey mass. However, the ventral part of the columnar field retains an undulated appearance throughout late gestation, showing multiple indentations as a sign of former cytoarchitectonic inhomogeneities. In conclusion, the fetal lateral amygdaloid nucleus contains a number of cytoarchitectonic "moduli" which could serve as a new parameter for an estimation of histogenetic maturity of the human amygdala. This transient cytoarchitectonic inhomogeneity could be a sign of the temporary predominance of one characteristic afferent-efferent system during a given developmental stage. Alternatively, it could reflect a clustered type of neurogenesis.