STT neurons projecting to the ventral posterior inferior nucleus were also studied.
For area PEa, the corticothalamic projection formed by small endings was found mainly in LP, VPL, anterior pulvinar (PuA), lateral pulvinar (PuL), PuM and, to a lesser extent, in ventral posterior inferior nucleus (VPI), CL, mediodorsal nucleus (MD) and CM.
This report focuses on STT input to the ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL) and the subjacent ventral posterior inferior nucleus (VPI), where prior anterograde tracing studies identified scattered STT terminal bursts and a dense terminal field, respectively.
In addition, isolated fibers bearing boutons of passage were observed in the ventral posterior medial and lateral (VPM and VPL) nuclei, and spinal terminations occurred in the ventral posterior inferior nucleus (VPI).
Sparser termination was evident in the ventral posterior inferior nucleus, in the medial nucleus of the posterior complex, and in the medial part of the magnocellular medial geniculate nucleus.
In contrast, CB immunoreactivity is prevalent in medial thalamic nuclei (intralaminar and midline), the posterior complex, ventral posterior inferior nucleus, the ventral lateral anterior nucleus, ventral anterior, and ventral medial nuclei.
Nociceptive neurons were found in ventral posterior inferior nucleus (VPI), in the lateral and medial nuclei (VPL and VPM) of the ventral posterior complex (VP = VPL + VPM), as well as the posterior complex (PO).
In these animals, label was located mainly in suprageniculate and pulvinar oralis, caudal and oral divisions of ventral posterior lateral nucleus, the lateral half of ventral posterior inferior nucleus, and zona incerta, while in the medial thalamus label was primarily in two distinct bands in medial dorsal nucleus and in the posterior dorsal portion of central lateral nucleus.
Furthermore, small clusters of labeling were found in the dorsal, presumed kinesthetic region of VPL and in portions of the ventral posterior inferior nucleus and the posterior nucleus.
In cases with injections placed in the lateral part of area 4, dense accumulations of label were present in the lateral part of the ventral anterior nucleus (VA), the central part of the ventral lateral nucleus (VL), the ventral half of the ventral posterior inferior nucleus (VPI), the caudal part of the central lateral nucleus (CL), and the centrum medianum (CM).
Following lesions of the deep layers of the superior colliculus, degenerated axonal endings were found in the central gray, magnocellular medial geniculate nucleus, suprageniculate nucleus, limitans nucleus, lateral posterior nucleus, medial and oral pulvinar, nucleus of the accessory optic tract, zona incerta, subdivisions of the ventral lateral and ventral posterior lateral nuclei, ventral posterior inferior nucleus, denosocellular and multiform dorsomedial nuclei, all intralaminar nuclei, inferior colliculus, parabigeminal nucleus, olivary nucleus, reunions nucleus, Forel's Field H and an undefined midbrain nucleus.
-
[ View All ]