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Role of cortical feedback in the receptive field structure and nonlinear response properties of somatosensory thalamic neurons.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ghazanfar, AA; Krupa, DJ; Nicolelis, MA
Published in: Exp Brain Res
November 2001

Previous studies have suggested that the descending pathway from the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex to the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus has only a mild facilitative influence over thalamic neurons. Given the large numbers of corticothalamic terminations within the rat somatosensory thalamus and their complex topography, we sought to examine the role of corticothalamic feedback in the genesis of spatiotemporal receptive fields and the integration of complex tactile stimuli in the thalamus. By combining focal cortical inactivation (produced by microinjection of the GABA(A) agonist muscimol), with chronic multielectrode recordings, we observed that feedback from the rat SI cortex has multiple influences on its primary thalamic relay, the ventral posterior medial (VPM) nucleus. Our data demonstrate that, when single-whisker stimuli were used, the elimination of cortical feedback caused significant changes in the spatiotemporal structure of the receptive fields of VPM neurons. Cortical feedback also accounted for the nonlinear summation of VPM neural responses to simultaneously stimulated whiskers, in effect "linearizing" the responses. These results argue that the integration and transmission of tactile information through VPM are strongly influenced by the state of SI cortex.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Exp Brain Res

DOI

ISSN

0014-4819

Publication Date

November 2001

Volume

141

Issue

1

Start / End Page

88 / 100

Location

Germany

Related Subject Headings

  • Vibrissae
  • Ventral Thalamic Nuclei
  • Thalamus
  • Somatosensory Cortex
  • Reaction Time
  • Rats, Long-Evans
  • Rats
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Ghazanfar, A. A., Krupa, D. J., & Nicolelis, M. A. (2001). Role of cortical feedback in the receptive field structure and nonlinear response properties of somatosensory thalamic neurons. Exp Brain Res, 141(1), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002210100849
Ghazanfar, A. A., D. J. Krupa, and M. A. Nicolelis. “Role of cortical feedback in the receptive field structure and nonlinear response properties of somatosensory thalamic neurons.Exp Brain Res 141, no. 1 (November 2001): 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002210100849.
Ghazanfar, A. A., et al. “Role of cortical feedback in the receptive field structure and nonlinear response properties of somatosensory thalamic neurons.Exp Brain Res, vol. 141, no. 1, Nov. 2001, pp. 88–100. Pubmed, doi:10.1007/s002210100849.
Journal cover image

Published In

Exp Brain Res

DOI

ISSN

0014-4819

Publication Date

November 2001

Volume

141

Issue

1

Start / End Page

88 / 100

Location

Germany

Related Subject Headings

  • Vibrissae
  • Ventral Thalamic Nuclei
  • Thalamus
  • Somatosensory Cortex
  • Reaction Time
  • Rats, Long-Evans
  • Rats
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery