Development of the supraoptic decussation in the chick (Gallus gallus)

Summary The developing supraoptic decussation (SOD), a major interhemispheric tract in birds, has been implicated in both transfer of visual information and in the modulation of brain asymmetry. Moreover little is known of its morphology during development. We have examined the development of the chick SOD, which consists of three subregions; dorsal, ventral and subventral SOD. In the dorsal SOD the total number of fibres reach 968000 on the 19th day of incubation (E-19), falling to 570000 by the 8th day after hatching (P-8). In the ventral SOD, the number of fibres at E-19 reach 660000, followed by a gradual reduction in their number to about 490000 at P-22. In the subventral SOD the number of fibres estimated was 87000 at E-15 falling to about 36000 at P-1. Compared with adult levels, there is, respectively, a drop in the number of fibres of 44%, 25% and 69% in the dorsal, ventral and subventral SOD during development. At E-19 in both the dorsal and ventral SOD there is qualitative evidence of axonal loss; disrupted axonal profiles, increased extracellular space and cells containing lysosomal cytoplasmic inclusions indicative of macrophages. Differences were also observed in the pattern of myelination, the dorsal, ventral and subventral SOD were shown to myelinate at different rates. Thus, in a single named tract, the SOD, there are major differences in the onset, rate and extent of fibre loss and myelogenesis within its three subregions. The functional implications of these differences are considered.