Evidence for spatial structure in the cortical input to the monkey lateral geniculate nucleus

1985 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R.T. Marrocco ◽  
J.W. McClurkin
1988 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1783-1797 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Colby

1. The dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the cat is a major thalamic relay between the retina and several visual cortical areas. These cortical areas in turn project to the superior colliculus (SC). The aim of the present experiment was to determine which LGN layers provide a necessary input to the corticotectal circuit. 2. Individual layers of the LGN were reversibly inactivated by microinjection of cobalt chloride during recording of visual responses in the retinotopically corresponding part of the superior colliculus. 3. For cells driven through the contralateral eye, inactivation of layer A or the medial interlaminar nucleus (MIN) had little effect on visual responsiveness in the superior colliculus. In contrast, inactivation of layer C abolished visual responses at one-quarter of the SC recording sites, reduced responses at another quarter, and left half of the recording sites unaffected. 4. For cells driven through the ipsilateral eye, inactivation of layer C1 or the MIN had no effect. Inactivation of layer A1 uniformly reduced visual responses in the superior colliculus and usually abolished them entirely. 5. These results are compatible with previous work showing that cortical input to the SC originates from Y-cells. They indicate that two of the five Y-cell containing layers (A1 and C) provide major inputs to the corticotectal circuit. The results suggest that layer A1 is functionally allied to layer C as well as to layer A.


2020 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Campbell ◽  
Gubbi Govindaiah ◽  
Sean P. Masterson ◽  
Martha E. Bickford ◽  
William Guido

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) modulates thalamocortical transmission through inhibition. In mouse, TRN terminals in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) form synapses with relay neurons but not interneurons. Stimulation of TRN terminals in dLGN leads to a frequency-dependent form of inhibition, with higher rates of stimulation leading to a greater suppression of spike firing. Thus, TRN inhibition appears more dynamic than previously recognized, having a graded rather than an all-or-none impact on thalamocortical transmission.


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