Pathways for Memory, Cognition and Emotional Context: Hippocampal, Subgenual Area 25, and Amygdalar Axons Show Unique Interactions in the Primate Thalamic Reuniens Nucleus

The reuniens nucleus (RE) is situated at the most ventral position of the midline thalamus. In rats and mice RE is distinguished by bidirectional connections with the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and a role in memory and cognition. In primates, many foundational questions pertaining to RE remain unresolved. We addressed these issues by investigating the composition of the rhesus monkey RE in both sexes by labeling for GABA, a marker of inhibitory neurons, and for the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB), and calretinin (CR), which label thalamic excitatory neurons that project to cortex. As in rats and mice, the macaque RE was mostly populated by CB and CR neurons, characteristic of matrix-dominant nuclei, and had bidirectional connections with hippocampus and mPFC area 25 (A25). Unlike rodents, we found GABAergic neurons in the monkey RE and a sparser but consistent population of core-associated thalamocortical PV neurons. RE had stronger connections with the basal amygdalar complex than in rats or mice. Amygdalar terminations were enriched with mitochondria and frequently formed successive synapses with the same postsynaptic structures, suggesting an active and robust pathway to RE. Significantly, hippocampal pathways formed multisynaptic complexes that uniquely involved excitatory projection neurons and dendrites of local inhibitory neurons in RE, extending this synaptic principle beyond sensory to high-order thalamic nuclei. Convergent pathways from hippocampus, A25, and amygdala in RE position it to flexibly coordinate activity for memory, cognition, and emotional context, which are disrupted in several psychiatric and neurologic diseases in humans.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The primate RE is a central node for memory and cognition through connections with the hippocampus and mPFC. As in rats or mice, the primate RE is a matrix-dominant thalamic nucleus, suggesting signal traffic to the upper cortical layers. Unlike rats or mice, the primate RE contains inhibitory neurons, synaptic specializations with the hippocampal pathway, and robust connections with the amygdala, suggesting unique adaptations. Convergence of hippocampal, mPFC, and amygdalar pathways in RE may help unravel a circuit basis for binding diverse signals for conscious flexible behaviors and the synthesis of memory with affective significance in primates, whereas disruption of distinct circuit nodes may occur in psychiatric disorders in humans.