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Figure 2 | Frontiers in Zoology

Figure 2

From: Comparative neuroanatomy suggests repeated reduction of neuroarchitectural complexity in Annelida

Figure 2

Three-dimensional surface reconstruction of the mushroom body neuropil in the polychaete Lepidonotus clava. (a) Three-dimensional mushroom body model superimposed upon an autofluorescence image of a horizontal section through the head of the animal (anterior is towards the top of the picture). The contour of the prostomium provides a context to which the relative position and size of the clearly demarcated mushroom bodies (mb) can be related. In the reconstruction, the globuli cell cluster (blue) is colored transparently, allowing for the intricate arborizations of the mushroom body neuropile (red) to be seen. pa palp, ey eye (b, c, d) Anterior (b), median (c), and ventral (d) views of the surface reconstruction show a thick mass of globuli cell bodies surrounding most parts of the neuropil and forming indentations to accommodate the anterior and posterior eyes (purple). Where it is embedded in globuli cell somata, the neuropil forms protuberances. About the dorso-ventral midline (arrowheads), the neuropil proper splits into an anterior lobe (al) and a posterior part. While the anterior lobe shows a smooth, unbroken surface, the posterior part forms several extensions that establish contact with the central neuropil. Two of these extensions (arrows) connect to a cluster of glomeruli (yellow) that lies adjacent to the ventro-posterior part of the mushroom bodies. Also shown here is a crescent-shaped neuropil region (green) that lies between the mushroom bodies and spans the midline of the brain. Scale bar: 200 μm.

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