Thalamo-cortical projections for recruiting responses and spindling-like responses in the parietal cortex

Abstract

1. The thalamic neurones sending their axons to the parietal association cortex (middle suprasylvian gyrus) and receiving monosynaptic excitation from the cerebellar (interpositus or lateral) nucleus were recorded with microelectrodes extracellularly and intracellularly around the anterior ventral (VA) nucleus of the thalamus in cats. Such thalamic neurones are known to carry exclusively the impulses responsible for superficial thalamo-cortical (T-C) responses in the parietal cortex, being called superficial T-C neurones (see Sasaki et al., 1972a, b). 2. Repetitive (6--9/sec) stimulation of the centrum medianum-parafascicular complex (CM) or the intralaminar nuclei (IL) of the thalamus elicited grouped spike discharges of the neurone in synchronization with the recruiting responses in the parietal cortex. The grouped discharges usually preceded the respective cortical responses by several milliseconds. Numbers of the spikes in the grouped discharges increased and decreased as the recruiting responses waxed and waned on the repetitive stimulation. 3. The superficial T-C neurones also showed similar grouped discharges in synchronization with spindling-like, surface-negative cortical responses which occurred spontaneously or were evoked by single thalamic stimulation. 4. It was concluded that the superficial T-C neurons can convey impulses for recruiting responses and spindling-like responses from the thalamus directly to the cerebral cortex. They are supposed to constitute the final T-C pathway of the neuronal circuits of the recruiting system, i.e., non-specific T-C projection system.