Spatial distribution of focal potentials in the ventro-lateral thalamic nucleus evoked by cutaneous stimulation of the forelimb

1973 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 876-878
Author(s):  
Zh. Sh. Urgaliev
1983 ◽  
Vol 129 (5) ◽  
pp. 1047-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Flanigan ◽  
Harold M. August ◽  
Byron Young ◽  
Bruce A. Lucas ◽  
J. William Mcroberts

1989 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 711-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Allison ◽  
G. McCarthy ◽  
C. C. Wood ◽  
P. D. Williamson ◽  
D. D. Spencer

1. The anatomic generators of human median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in the 40 to 250-ms latency range were investigated in 54 patients by means of cortical-surface and transcortical recordings obtained during neurosurgery. 2. Contralateral stimulation evoked three groups of SEPs recorded from the hand representation area of sensorimotor cortex: P45-N80-P180, recorded anterior to the central sulcus (CS) and maximal on the precentral gyrus; N45-P80-N180, recorded posterior to the CS and maximal on the postcentral gyrus; and P50-N90-P190, recorded near and on either side of the CS. 3. P45-N80-P180 inverted in polarity to N45-P80-N180 across the CS but was similar in polarity from the cortical surface and white matter in transcortical recordings. These spatial distributions were similar to those of the short-latency P20-N30 and N20-P30 potentials described in the preceding paper, suggesting that these long-latency potentials are generated in area 3b of somatosensory cortex. 4. P50-N90-P190 was largest over the anterior one-half of somatosensory cortex and did not show polarity inversion across the CS. This spatial distribution was similar to that of the short-latency P25-N35 potentials described in the preceding paper and, together with our and Goldring et al. 1970; Stohr and Goldring 1969 transcortical recordings, suggest that these long-latency potentials are generated in area 1 of somatosensory cortex. 5. SEPs of apparently local origin were recorded from several regions of sensorimotor cortex to stimulation of the ipsilateral median nerve. Surface and transcortical recordings suggest that the ipsilateral potentials are generated not in area 3b, but rather in other regions of sensorimotor cortex perhaps including areas 4, 1, 2, and 7. This spatial distribution suggests that the ipsilateral potentials are generated by transcallosal input from the contralateral hemisphere. 6. Recordings from the periSylvian region were characterized by P100 and N100, recorded above and below the Sylvian sulcus (SS) respectively. This distribution suggests a tangential generator located in the upper wall of the SS in the second somatosensory area (SII). In addition, N125 and P200, recorded near and on either side of the SS, suggest a radial generator in a portion of SII located in surface cortex above the SS. 7. In comparison with the short-latency SEPs described in the preceding paper, the long-latency potentials were more variable and were more affected by intraoperative conditions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 2092-2107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harumitsu Hirata ◽  
James W. Hu ◽  
David A. Bereiter

Corneal-responsive neurons were recorded extracellularly in two regions of the spinal trigeminal nucleus, subnucleus interpolaris/caudalis (Vi/Vc) and subnucleus caudalis/upper cervical cord (Vc/C1) transition regions, from methohexital-anesthetized male rats. Thirty-nine Vi/Vc and 26 Vc/C1 neurons that responded to mechanical and electrical stimulation of the cornea were examined for convergent cutaneous receptive fields, responses to natural stimulation of the corneal surface by CO2 pulses (0, 30, 60, 80, and 95%), effects of morphine, and projections to the contralateral thalamus. Forty-six percent of mechanically sensitive Vi/Vc neurons and 58% of Vc/C1 neurons were excited by CO2 stimulation. The evoked activity of most cells occurred at 60% CO2 after a delay of 7–22 s. At the Vi/Vc transition three response patterns were seen. Type I cells ( n = 11) displayed an increase in activity with increasing CO2 concentration. Type II cells ( n = 7) displayed a biphasic response, an initial inhibition followed by excitation in which the magnitude of the excitatory phase was dependent on CO2 concentration. A third category of Vi/Vc cells (type III, n = 3) responded to CO2 pulses only after morphine administration (>1.0 mg/kg). At the Vc/C1 transition, all CO2-responsive cells ( n = 15) displayed an increase in firing rates with greater CO2 concentration, similar to the pattern of type I Vi/Vc cells. Comparisons of the effects of CO2 pulses on Vi/Vc type I units, Vi/Vc type II units, and Vc/C1 corneal units revealed no significant differences in threshold intensity, stimulus encoding, or latency to sustained firing. Morphine (0.5–3.5 mg/kg iv) enhanced the CO2-evoked activity of 50% of Vi/Vc neurons tested, whereas all Vc/C1 cells were inhibited in a dose-dependent, naloxone-reversible manner. Stimulation of the contralateral posterior thalamic nucleus antidromically activated 37% of Vc/C1 corneal units; however, no effective sites were found within the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus or nucleus submedius. None of the Vi/Vc corneal units tested were antidromically activated from sites within these thalamic regions. Corneal-responsive neurons in the Vi/Vc and Vc/C1 regions likely serve different functions in ocular nociception, a conclusion reflected more by the difference in sensitivity to analgesic drugs and efferent projection targets than by the CO2 stimulus intensity encoding functions. Collectively, the properties of Vc/C1 corneal neurons were consistent with a role in the sensory-discriminative aspects of ocular pain due to chemical irritation. The unique and heterogeneous properties of Vi/Vc corneal neurons suggested involvement in more specialized ocular functions such as reflex control of tear formation or eye blinks or recruitment of antinociceptive control pathways.


1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 2441-2450 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. D. Rasmusson

1. Single neurons in the ventroposterior lateral thalamic nucleus were studied in 10 anesthetized raccoons, 4 of which had undergone amputation of the fourth digit 4-5 mo before recording. Neurons with receptive fields on the glabrous skin of a forepaw digit were examined in response to electrical stimulation of the “on-focus” digit that contained the neuron's receptive field and stimulation of an adjacent, “off-focus” digit. 2. In normal raccoons all neurons responded to on-focus stimulation with an excitation at a short latency (mean 13 ms), whereas only 63% of the neurons responded to off-focus digit stimulation. The off-focus responses had a longer latency (mean 27.2 ms) and a higher threshold than the on-focus responses (800 and 452 microA, respectively). Only 3 of 32 neurons tested with off-focus stimulation had both a latency and a threshold within the range of on-focus values. Inhibition following the excitation was seen in the majority of neurons with both types of stimulation. 3. In the raccoons with digit removal, the region of the thalamus that had lost its major peripheral input (the “deafferented” region) was distinguished from the normal third and fifth digit regions on the basis of the sequence of neuronal receptive fields within a penetration and receptive field size as described previously. 4. Almost all of the neurons in the deafferented region (91%) were excited by stimulation of one or both adjacent digits. The average latency for these responses was shorter (15.3 ms) and the threshold was lower than was the case with off-focus stimulation in control animals. These values were not significantly different from the responses to on-focus stimulation in the animals with digit amputation. 5. These results confirm that reorganization of sensory pathways can be observed at the thalamic level. In addition to the changes in the somatotopic map that have been shown previously with the use of mechanical stimuli, the present paper demonstrates an improvement in several quantitative measures of single-unit responses. Many of these changes suggest that this reorganization could be explained by an increased effectiveness of preexisting, weak connections from the off-focus digits; however, the increase in the proportion of neurons responding to stimulation of adjacent digits may indicate that sprouting of new connections also occurs.


1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 3127-3136 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Horn ◽  
T. M. Hamm ◽  
A. R. Gibson

Horn, K. M., T. M. Hamm, and A. R. Gibson. Red nucleus stimulation inhibits within the inferior olive. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 3127–3136, 1998. In the anesthetized cat, electrical stimulation of the magnocellular red nucleus (RNm) inhibits responses of rostral dorsal accessory olive (rDAO) neurons to cutaneous stimulation. We tested the hypothesis that RNm-mediated inhibition occurs within the inferior olive by using stimulation of the ventral funiculus (VF) of the spinal cord in place of cutaneous stimulation of the hindlimb. Fibers in the VF terminate on hindlimb rDAO neurons, so inhibition of this input would have to occur within the olive. rDAO responses elicited by VF stimulation were inhibited by prior stimulation of the RNm, indicating that inhibition occurs within the olive. In contrast, evoked potentials recorded from the VF or dorsal columns following hindlimb stimulation were not affected by prior stimulation of RNm, indicating that stimulation of the RNm does not inhibit olivary afferents at spinal levels. RNm stimulation that inhibited rDAO responses had little effect on evoked somatosensory responses in thalamus, indicating that inhibition generated by activity in RNm may be specific to rDAO. To test limb specificity of RNm-mediated inhibition, conditioning stimulation was applied to the dorsolateral funiculus at thoracic levels, which selectively activates RNm neurons projecting to the lumbar cord. Stimulation at thoracic levels inhibited evoked responses from hindlimb but not forelimb regions of rDAO, suggesting that inhibitory effects of RNm activity are limb specific. Several studies have reported that olivary neurons have reduced sensitivity to peripheral stimulation during movement; it is likely that RNm-mediated inhibition occurring within the olive contributes to this reduction of sensitivity. Inhibition of rDAO responses by descending motor pathways appears to be a salient feature of olivary function.


1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1134-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. N. Currie ◽  
P. S. Stein

1. We demonstrated multisecond increases in the excitability of the rostral-scratch reflex in the turtle by electrically stimulating the shell at sites within the rostral-scratch receptive field. To examine the cellular mechanisms for these multisecond increases in scratch excitability, we recorded from single cutaneous afferents and sensory interneurons that responded to stimulation of the shell within the rostral-scratch receptive field. A single segment of the midbody spinal cord (D4, the 4th postcervical segment) was isolated in situ by transecting the spinal cord at the segment's anterior and posterior borders. The isolated segment was left attached to its peripheral nerve that innervates part of the rostral-scratch receptive field. A microsuction electrode (4-5 microns ID) was used to record extracellularly from the descending axons of cutaneous afferents and interneurons in the spinal white matter at the posterior end of the D4 segment. 2. The turtle shell is innervated by slowly and rapidly adapting cutaneous afferents. All cutaneous afferents responded to a single electrical stimulus to the shell with a single action potential. Maintained mechanical stimulation applied to the receptive field of some slowly adapting afferents produced several seconds of afterdischarge at stimulus offset. We refer to the cutaneous afferent afterdischarge caused by mechanical stimulation of the shell as "peripheral afterdischarge." 3. Within the D4 spinal segment there were some interneurons that responded to a brief mechanical stimulus within their receptive fields on the shell with short afterdischarge and others that responded with long afterdischarge. Short-afterdischarge interneurons responded to a single electrical pulse to a site in their receptive fields either with a brief train of action potentials or with a single action potential. Long-afterdischarge interneurons responded to a single electrical shell stimulus with up to 30 s of afterdischarge. Long-afterdischarge interneurons also exhibited strong temporal summation in response to a pair of electrical shell stimuli delivered up to several seconds apart. Because all cutaneous afferents responded to an electrical shell stimulus with a single action potential, we conclude that electrically evoked afterdischarge in interneurons was produced by neural mechanisms in the spinal cord; we refer to this type of afterdischarge as "central afterdischarge." 4. These results demonstrate that neural mechanisms for long-lasting excitability changes in response to cutaneous stimulation reside in a single segment of the spinal cord. Cutaneous interneurons with long afterdischarge may serve as cellular loci for multise


1962 ◽  
Vol 203 (5) ◽  
pp. 796-798
Author(s):  
Lucy Birzis

A procedure for implanting cortical and subcortical brain electrodes in young hooded rats is described. In unrestrained rats, cortical activity showed patterns of high voltage slow activity or low voltage fast activity correlated with quiet or alert states, respectively. Typical recruiting responses were elicited by stimulation of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus. Low intensity stimulation of the limbic system produced an electrical response similar to thalamocortical recruiting, and higher intensity stimulation induced a seizure discharge in the limbic circuit with accompanying behavioral signs of excitement and hypermotility. Neither ongoing electrical activity, nor thresholds or amplitudes of response to stimulation of thalamus or limbic system were observably different after a period of 8 weeks of active growth of the rats.


NeuroImage ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 1477-1486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihai Popescu ◽  
Steven Barlow ◽  
Elena-Anda Popescu ◽  
Meredith E. Estep ◽  
Lalit Venkatesan ◽  
...  

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