Heterogeneity of layer 4 in visual areas of rhesus macaque cortex

Recently, single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has enabled unprecedented insights to the cellular landscape of the brains of many different species, among them the rhesus macaque as a key animal model. Building on previous, broader surveys of the macaque brain, we closely examined five immediately neighboring areas within the visual cortex of the rhesus macaque: V1, V2, V4, MT and TEO.

To facilitate this, we first devised a novel pipeline for brain spatial archive – the BrainSPACE – which enabled robust archiving and sampling from the whole unfixed brain. SnRNA-sequencing of ∼100,000 nuclei from visual areas V1 and V4 revealed conservation within the GABAergic neuron subtypes, while seven and one distinct principle neuron subtypes were detected in V1 and V4, respectively, all most likely located in layer 4. Moreover, using small molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization, we identified cell type density gradients across V1, V2, V4, MT, and TEO appearing to reflect the visual hierarchy. These findings demonstrate an association between the clear areal specializations among neighboring areas with the hierarchical levels within the visual cortex of the rhesus macaque.