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Anatomical and functional compartmentalization of the subparafascicular thalamic nucleus in the rat

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Summary

The localization and the transmitter phenotype of subparafascicular thalamic nucleus (Spf) neurons projecting to the inferior colliculus (IC) and to the spinal cord (Sp) were studied by using a retrograde fluorescent double labeling technique, and a combined technique of retrograde tracing and immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD). The cell population of Spf-IC neurons was totally differentiated from that of Spf-Sp neurons which have been reported to be dopaminergic. The former were densely distributed, small to medium sized cells and localized in the central portion of the Spf, while the latter were sparsely distributed, large cells and localized in the marginal portion of the Spf. Spf-IC neurons were completely devoid of TH immunoreactivity and, instead, approximately half of them showed GAD immunoreactivity. From these findings, it is concluded that the Spf is distinctly compartmentalized by the presence at least two separate neuronal subpopulations, which are distinguishable in terms of their cell size, distribution patterns, transmitter phenotypes and trajectories.

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Abbreviations

BC:

brachium conjunctivum

FG:

Fluoro-gold

FITC:

Fluorescein isothiocyanate

FR:

fasciculus retroflexus

GAD:

glutamate decarboxylase

Hb:

habenula

IC:

inferior colliculus

PI:

Propidium iodide

Sp:

spinal cord

Spf:

sub-parafascicular thalamic nucleus

TH:

tyrosine hydroxylase

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University of Toronto, M5S 1A8, Toronto, Ont., Canada

    T. Moriizumi & T. Hattori

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  1. T. Moriizumi
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  2. T. Hattori
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Moriizumi, T., Hattori, T. Anatomical and functional compartmentalization of the subparafascicular thalamic nucleus in the rat. Exp Brain Res 90, 175–179 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229269

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229269

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