Effects of stimulation of the midbrain reticular formation upon thalamo-cortical neurones responsible for cortical recruiting responses

Abstract

1. In lightly nembutalized cats, effects of high frequency (60-100/sec) repetitive stimulation of the midbrain reticular formation (RF) were tested upon the thalamo-cortical (T-C) neurones which project from the anterior ventral (VA) nucleus of the thalamus and its vicinities to the parietal association cortex and convey impulses responsible for cortical recruiting and spindling-like responses. 2. Tonic maintained or rhythmic grouped firings of the T-C neurones recorded as extracellular units with microelectrode in the thalamus were in the majority suppressed by high frequency RF stimulation during and often for a short time after the stimulation, and they showed later tonic discharges for many seconds or minutes. Intracellular recording from the T-C neurones revealed hyperpolarizing potential changes corresponding to the suppression on high frequency RF stimulation. Field potential analysis in the VA nucleus indicated that the hyperpolarization is ascribed at least in part to IPSPs elicited in the T-C neurones. Responses in some other types of thalamic neurones to the RF stimulation were exemplified to be compared and related with those of the T-C neurones. 3. Desynchronization of the parietal electrocorticogram coincided with the suppression of the T-C neurones and lasted for the time of the later tonic discharges, which contrasted with the rhythmic grouped discharges of the T-C neurones in association with recruiting and spindling-like responses of the cortex. Relations between the thalamo-cortical recruiting system and the ascending reticular activating system were discussed.