D-109
Exploring the 3D organization of the lateral protocerebrum of the semiterrestrial crab Neohelice granulata.
Ana Paulova Contreras Vera2, Martín Berón de Astrada1,3, Alejandro Delorenzi1,2, Julieta Sztarker1,2
  1. Dpto. FBMC-Universidad de Buenos Aires
  2. IFIBYNE (CONICET-UBA)
  3. IB3 (UBA)
Presenting Author:
Ana Contreras Vera
apavlovac@gmail.com
Semiterrestrial crabs possess a highly developed visual system and exhibit conspicuous visually-guided behaviors. Within their eyestalks lie the optic lobes, which house the visual neuropils—lamina, medulla and lobula complex—as well as the lateral protocerebrum. The visual neuropils are highly organized, comprising thousands of retinotopically arranged columns. In contrast, the lateral protocerebrum contains a collection of neuropils and globular structures that remain largely undescribed. Previous studies in Neohelice using Golgi impregnation identified 29 types of lobula columnar neurons (LCs), classified by their arborizations within the lobula. However, due to the stochastic nature of the technique, the actual number of LC types is likely higher. In arthropods, LCs typically project their axons to cell-type-specific target regions within the lateral protocerebrum, known as optic glomeruli. In this study, we combine multiple anatomical techniques—including massive dextran-conjugated dye staining, synapsin immunohistochemistry, intracellular staining, Golgi impregnation, and Bodian staining—to describe the architecture of the lateral protocerebrum. Through Neurolucida-based reconstructions, we present a 3D model that encompasses 83 optic glomeruli, the terminals of four types of lobula giant neurons (LGs), medulla tracts, and previously unrecognized neuropils. These structures are contextualized alongside known components such as the mushroom and reniform bodies.