Summary
The responses of individual neurones of nucleus ventrolateralis thalami (VL) have been recorded extracellularly following stimulation of the brachium conjunctivum (BC), nucleus entopeduncularis (EN) and precruciate cortex. In anaesthetized cats stimulation of these structures produced either short latency single spike responses or brief bursts of action potentials with somewhat longer latency: the latter responses could be converted to single spikes by the electrophoretic application of acetylcholine or an excitatory amino acid to the neurone. Atropine attenuated the effect of BC stimulation but did not alter excitations from the cortex or EN. Acetylcholine was found to depress the excitation of VL neurones from EN. Collateral fibres of the EN neurones were shown to innervate neurones in the lateral parts of the centrum medianum — parafascicular complex and in VL.
It was concluded that VL neurones receive monosynaptic inputs from cortex, EN and the cerebellar nuclei, but that only-the last may have a significant cholinergic component.
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Marshall, K.C., McLennan, H. The synaptic activation of neurones of the feline ventrolateral thalamic nucleus: Possible cholinergic mechanisms. Exp Brain Res 15, 472–483 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236403
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236403