Summary
Retrograde tracing experiments using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been utilized for demonstrating the origin of efferent projections of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNv) in the cat. HRP-positive cells identifiable as origins of thalamic projections were found in LGNv after injections of HRP into the lateral central intralaminar nucleus. The labeled cells appeared concentrated in the medial part of the internal division of LGNv, consisting of medium-sized multipolar cells. Contralaterally, fewer labeled cells were present in the corresponding part of LGNv. In the case of injections of HRP into the midbrain (pretectum and superior colliculus), labeled cells in LGNv were distributed almost exclusively in its external division, composed of mainly small cells. Little overlap of the distribution of HRP-positive cells was seen in LGNv between the thalamic and midbrain injection cases.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Ad:
-
Dorsal anterior nucleus
- Am:
-
Medial anterior nucleus
- Av:
-
Ventral anterior nucleus
- BSC:
-
Brachium of superior colliculus
- Cg:
-
Central gray
- Cl:
-
Lateral central nucleus
- Ld:
-
Dorsal lateral nucleus
- LGNd:
-
Dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus
- LGNv:
-
Ventral lateral geniculate nucleus
- Lp:
-
Posterior lateral nucleus
- Md:
-
Dorsal medial nucleus
- NIII:
-
Oculomotor complex
- NOT:
-
Nucleus of the optio tract
- NPC:
-
Nucleus of posterior commissure
- OT:
-
Optic tract
- P:
-
Posterior nucleus (Rioch 1929)
- Pc:
-
Paracentral nucleus
- Po:
-
Posterior group of thalamic nuclei
- Pt:
-
Parataenial nucleus
- PTa:
-
Anterior pretectal nucleus
- PTm:
-
Medial pretectal nucleus
- PTp:
-
Posterior pretectal nucleus
- Pul:
-
Pulvinar
- R:
-
Red nucleus
- Rt:
-
Thalamic reticular nucleus
- Sg:
-
Suprageniculate nucleus
- Va:
-
Anterior ventral nucleus
- VI:
-
Lateral ventral nucleus
- Vm:
-
Medial ventral nucleus
- Vpl:
-
Posterolateral ventral nucleus
- Vpm:
-
Posteromedial ventral nucleus
- Zi:
-
Zona incerta
- II:
-
Layer of superior colliculus
- III:
-
Layer of superior colliculus
- IV:
-
(Kanaseki and Sprague, 1974)
References
Abplanalp, P.L.: Some subcortical connections of the visual system in tree shrews and squirrels. Brain Behav. Evol. 3, 155–168 (1970)
Abplanalp, P.L.: Topography of retinal efferent connections in Sciurids. Brain Behav. Evol. 9, 333–375 (1974)
Altman, J., Carpenter, M.B.: Fiber projections of the superior colliculus in the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 116, 157–178 (1961)
Campbell, C.B.G.: Evolutionary patterns in mammalian diencephalic visual nuclei and their fiber connections. Brain Behav. Evol. 6, 218–236 (1972)
Edwards, S., Rosenquist, A.C., Palmer, R.: An autoradiographic study of ventral lateral geniculate nucleus projections in the cat. Brain Res. 72, 282–287 (1974)
Garey, L.J., Powell, T.P.S.: The projection of the retina in the cat. J. Anat. (Lond.) 102, 189–222 (1968)
Graham, R.C., Karnovsky, M.J.: The early stages of absorption of injected horseradish peroxidase in the proximal tubule of mouse kidney: ultrastructural correlates by a new technique. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 14, 291–299 (1966)
Graybiel, A.M.: Visuo-cerebellar and cerebello-visual connections involving the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. Exp. Brain Res. 20, 303–306 (1974)
Holländer, H., Sanides, D.: The retinal projection to the ventral part of the lateral geniculate nucleus. An experimental study with silver-impregnation methods and axoplasmic protein tracing. Exp. Brain Res. 26, 329–342 (1977)
Horel, J.A.: Effects of subcortical lesions on brightness discrimination acquired by rats without visual cortex. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 65, 103–109 (1968)
Jones, E.G.: Some aspects of the organization of the thalamic reticular complex. J. comp. Neurol. 162, 285–308 (1975)
Jordan, H., Holländer, H.: The structure of the ventral part of the lateral geniculate nucleus. A cyto- and myeloarchitectonic study in the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 145, 259–272 (1972)
Kanaseki, T., Sprague, J.M.: Anatomical organization of pretectal nuclei and tectal laminae in the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 158, 319–338 (1974)
Kawamura, S.: Topical organization of the extrageniculate visual system in the cat. Exp. Neurol. 45, 451–461 (1974)
Kawamura, S., Kobayashi, E.: Identification of laminar origin of some tecto-thalamic fibers in the cat. Brain Res. 91, 281–285 (1975)
Kawamura, S., Niimi, K.: Anatomical organization of the extrageniculate visual systems in the cat. Abstr. of Xth intern. Congr. of Anat., Kyoto Symp. 27, 1975
Kawamura, S., Sprague, J.M., Niimi, K.: Corticofugal projections from the visual cortices to the thalamus, pretectum and superior colliculus in the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 158, 339–362 (1974)
Künzle, H.: Notes on the application of radioactive amino acids for the tracing of neuronal connections. Brain Res. 85, 267–271 (1975)
Laties, A.M., Sprague, J.M.: The projections of optic fibers to the visual centers of the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 127, 35–70 (1966)
Legg, C.R., Cowey, A.: The role of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus and posterior thalamus in intensity discrimination in rats. Brain Res. 123, 261–273 (1977)
Magnin, M., Jeannerod, M., Putkonen, P.: Vestibular and saccadic influences on dorsal and ventral nuclei of the lateral geniculate body. Exp. Brain Res. 21, 1–18 (1974)
Niimi, K., Kanaseki, T., Takimoto, T.: The comparative anatomy of the ventral nucleus of the lateral geniculate body in mammals. J. comp. Neurol. 121, 313–324 (1963)
Niimi, K., Miki, M., Kawamura, S.: Ascending projections of the superior colliculus in the cat. Okajimas Folia anat. jap. 47, 269–289 (1970)
Orem, J., Schlag, J.: Relations between thalamic and corticofrontal sites of oculomotor control in the cat. Brain Res. 60, 503–507 (1973)
Orem, J., Schlag-Rey, M., Schlag, J.: Unilateral visual neglect and thalamic intralaminar lesions in the cat. Exp. Neurol. 40, 784–797 (1973)
Putkonen, P.T.S., Magnin, M., Jeannerod, M.: Directional responses to head rotation in neurons from the ventral nucleus of the lateral geniculate body. Brain Res. 61, 407–411 (1973)
Rioch, D.M.: Studies on the diencenphalon of carnivora. Part I. The nuclear configuration of the thalamus, epithalamus, and hypothalamus of the dog and cat. J. comp. Neurol. 49, 1–119 (1929)
Schlag, J., Lehtinen, I., Schlag-Rey, M.: Neuronal activity before and during eye movements in the thalamic internal medullary lamina of the cat. J. Neurophysiol. 37, 982–995 (1974)
Straschill, M., Rieger, P.: Eye movements evoked by focal stimulation of the cat's superior colliculus. Brain Res. 59, 211–227 (1973)
Straschill, M., Schick, E.: Neuronal activity during eye movements in a visual association area of cat cerebral cortex. Exp. Brain Res. 19, 467–477 (1974)
Swanson, L., Cowan, W.M., Jones, E.G.: An autoradiographic study of the efferent connections of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus in the albino rat and the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 156, 143–163 (1974)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kawamura, S., Fukushima, N., Hattori, S. et al. A ventral lateral geniculate nucleus projection to the dorsal thalamus and the midbrain in the cat. Exp Brain Res 31, 95–106 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235807
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235807