Neurochemical organization and morphology of the sleep related nuclei in the brain of the Arabian oryx, Oryx leucoryx

The Arabian oryx, Oryx leucoryx, is a member of the superorder Cetartiodactyla and is native to the Arabian Desert. The desert environment can be considered extreme in which to sleep, as the ranges of temperatures experienced are beyond what most mammals encounter. The current study describes the nuclear organization and neuronal morphology of the systems that have been implicated in sleep control in other mammals for the Arabian oryx. The nuclei delineated include those revealed immunohistochemically as belonging to the cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic and orexinergic systems within the basal forebrain, hypothalamus, midbrain and pons. In addition, we examined the GABAergic neurons and their terminal networks surrounding or within these nuclei. The majority of the neuronal systems examined followed the typical mammalian organizational plan, but some differences were observed: (1) the neuronal morphology of the cholinergic laterodorsal tegmental (LDT) and pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nuclei, as well as the parvocellular subdivision of the orexinergic main cluster, exhibited Cetartiodactyl-specific features; (2) the dorsal division of the catecholaminergic anterior hypothalamic group (A15d), which has not been reported in any member of the Artiodactyla studied to date, was present in the brain of the Arabian oryx; and (3) the catecholaminergic tuberal cell group (A12) was notably more expansive than previously seen in any other mammal. The A12 nucleus has been associated functionally to osmoregulation in other mammals, and thus its expansion could potentially be a species specific feature of the Arabian oryx given their native desert environment and the need for extreme water conservation.