Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Topography and receptive field organization of the body midline representation in the ventrobasal complex of the cat

  • Published:
Experimental Brain Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The topography and receptive field (RF) organization of neurones in the trunk zone of the thalamic ventrobasal complex (VB) projecting to the homologous zone of the ipsilateral first somatosensory area (SI) were studied in the cat by performing experiments of retrograde neuronal tracing and microelectrode recording. Punctate cortical injections of small amounts of either horseradish peroxidase or fluorescent tracers (Evans Blue, Nuclear Yellow and Fast Blue) retrogradely labelled cell aggregates lying in the dorsal half of a VB region interposed between subnucleus VPL1 and VPLm. Aggregates of labelled cells were narrow in dorsoventral and mediolateral extent and elongated rostrocaudally. The distribution of VB cells projecting to the cortical subareas representing the dorsal midline, lateral trunk and ventral midline of the body in area SI, was established by injecting a different fluorescent marker into a physiologically defined site in each subarea. These injections resulted in labelling of three different cell aggregates located in topographically distinct regions of the VB trunk zone. Each aggregate of labelled cells only projected to one cortical subarea.

Microelectrode analysis of cell populations of the VB trunk zone showed that neurones lying in regions projecting to dorsal and ventral midline zones of area SI had bilateral RFs, straddling the dorsal and the ventral midline of the body respectively. Neurones lying in the region projecting to the lateral trunk representation of area SI had contralateral RFs located on the lateral surface of the trunk.

The results suggest that the detailed topography of the trunk map in the area SI and the bilaterality of the cortical representation of the body midlines, described in previous experiments, is imposed by the thalamocortical input from the VB.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

Ans:

Ansate sulcus

AV:

Nucleus anterior ventralis

Cd:

Nucleus caudatus

Ci:

Capsula interna

CL:

Nucleus centralis lateralis

CM:

Nucleus centrum medianum

Cru:

Cruciate sulcus

EB:

Evans blue

Ecsa:

Anterior ectosylvian sulcus

FB:

Fast blue

GL:

Nucleus geniculatus lateralis

Hb:

Nucleus habenularis

HRP:

Horseradish peroxidase

Lat:

Lateralis sulcus

LD:

Nucleus lateralis dorsalis

LP:

Nucleus lateralis posterior

MD:

Nucleus medialis dorsalis

NY:

Nuclear yellow

PC:

Nucleus paracentralis

Ped:

Pedunculus cerebri

PO:

Posterior thalamic group

POl:

Lateral division of the posterior thalamic group

POm:

Medial division of the posterior thalamic group

Pul:

Pulvinar

Psg:

Posterior sygmoid gyrus

R:

Nucleus reticularis thalami

Sups:

Suprasylvian sulcus

TO:

Tractus opticus

VA:

Nucleus ventralis anterior

VB:

Ventrobasal complex

VL:

Nucleus ventralis lateralis

VM:

Nucleus ventralis medialis

VPL1:

Nucleus ventralis posterolateralis, lateral division

VPLm:

Nucleus ventralis posterolateralis, medial division

References

  • Adams JC (1977) Technical considerations on the use of horseradish peroxidase as a neuronal marker. Neuroscience 2: 141–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentivoglio M, Kuypers HGJM, Catsman-Berrevoets CE (1980a) Retrograde neuronal labeling by means of bisbenzimide and nuclear yellow (Hoechst S 769121). Measures to prevent diffusion of the tracers out of retrogradely labeled neurones. Neurosci Lett 18: 19–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentivoglio M, Kuypers HGJM, Catsman-Berrevoets CE, Loewe H, Dann O (1980b) Two new flurescent retrograde neuronal tracers which are transported over long distances. Neurosci Lett 18: 25–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Berman AL, Jones EG (1982) The thalamus and basal telencephalon of the cat. Univ. Wisconsin Press

  • Berlucchi G (1972) Anatomical and physiological aspects of visual functions of corpus callosum. Brain Res 37: 371–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlucchi G (1981) Recent advances in the analysis of the neural substrates of interhemispheric communication. In: Pompeiano O, Ajmone-Marsan C (eds) Brain mechanisms and perceptual awareness. Raven Press, New York, pp 133–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Caminiti R, Innocenti GM, Manzoni T (1979) The anatomical substrate of callosal messages from SI and SII in the cat. Exp Brain Res 35: 295–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson L, Hand PJ, Morrison AR (1975) Cortico-thalamic relationships in the rat. Exp Neurol 47: 448–458

    Google Scholar 

  • Innocenti GM, Manzoni T, Spidalieri G (1973) Relevance of the callosal transfer in defining the peripheral reactivity of somesthetic cortical neurones. Arch Ital Biol 111: 187–221

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones EG, Powell TPS (1968) The commissural connexions of the somatic sensory cortex in the cat. J Anat 103: 433–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones EG, Wise SP, Coulter JD (1979) Differential thalamic relationships of sensory-motor and parietal cortical fields in monkeys. J Comp Neurol 183: 833–882

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones EG, Friedman DP (1982) Projection pattern of functional components of thalamic ventrobasal complex on somatosensory cortex. J Neurophysiol 48: 521–544

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones EG, Friedman DP, Hendry SHC (1982) Thalamic basis of place- and modality-specific columns in monkey somatosensory cortex: a correlative anatomical and physiological study. J Neurophysiol 48: 545–568

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones EG (1983) Distribution patterns of individual medial lemniscal axons in the ventrobasal complex of the monkey thalamus. J Comp Neurol 215: 1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Kosar E, Hand PJ (1981) First somatosensory cortical columns and associated neuronal clusters of nucleus ventralis posterolateralis of the cat: An anatomical demonstration. J Comp Neurol 198: 515–539

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuypers HGJM, Catsman-Berrevoets CE, Padt RE (1977) Retrograde axonal transport of fluorescent substances in the rat's forebrain. Neurosci Lett 6: 127–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuypers HGJM, Bentivoglio M, Catsman-Berrevoets CE, Bharos AT (1980) Double retrograde neuronal labeling through divergent axon collaterals, using two fluorescent tracers with the same excitation wavelength which label different features of the cell. Exp Brain Res 40: 383–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Landry P, Deschênes M (1981) Intracortical arborizations and receptive fields of identified ventrobasal thalamo-cortical afferents to the primary somatic sensory cortex of the cat. J Comp Neurol 199: 345–371

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin CS, Merzenich MM, Sur M, Kaas JH (1979) Connections of areas 3b and 1 of the parietal somatosensory strip with the ventroposterior nucleus in the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). J Comp Neurol 185: 355–372

    Google Scholar 

  • Manzoni T (1976) Intracortical mechanisms influencing the peripheral reactivity of SII convergence neurones. In: Creutzfeldt O (ed) Afferent and intrinsic organization of laminated structures in the brain, Exp Brain Res (Suppl 1), 431–436

  • Manzoni T, Caminiti R, Spidalieri G, Morelli E (1979) Anatomical and functional aspects of the associative projections from somatic area SI to SII. Exp Brain Res 34: 453–470

    Google Scholar 

  • Manzoni T, Barbaresi P, Bellardinelli E, Caminiti R (1980) Callosal projections from the two body midlines. Exp Brain Res 39: 1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • McKenna TM, Whitsel BL, Dreyer DA, Metz CB (1981) Organization of cat anterior parietal cortex: relations among cytoarchitecture, single neuron functional properties and interhemispheric connectivity. J Neurophysiol 45: 667–697

    Google Scholar 

  • Mountcastle VB (1957) Modality and topographic properties of single neurones of cat's somatic sensory cortex. J Neurophysiol 20: 408–434

    Google Scholar 

  • Rainey WT, Jones EG (1983) Spatial distribution of individual medial lemniscal axons in the thalamic ventrobasal complex of the cat. Exp Brain Res 49: 229–246

    Google Scholar 

  • Rinvik E (1968) A re-evaluation of the cytoarchitectonic of the ventral nuclear complex of the cat's thalamus on the basis of cortico-thalamic connections. Brain Res 8: 237–254

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson DL (1973) Electrophysiological analysis of interhemispheric relations in the second somatosensory cortex of the cat. Exp Brain Res 18: 131–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Saporta S, Kruger L (1977) The organization of thalamo-cortical relay neurones in the rat ventrobasal complex studied by the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. J Comp Neurol 174: 184–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Snider RS, Niemer WT (1961) A stereotaxic atlas of the cat brain. Univ. Chicago Press

  • Whitsel BL, Rustioni A, Dreyer DA, Loe PR, Allen EE, Metz CB (1978) Thalamic projections to SI in macaque monkey. J Comp Neurol 178: 385–410

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Physiology, University of Ancona, Via Grotte di Posatora, 1-60100, Ancona, Italy

    P. Barbaresi, F. Conti &  T. Manzoni

Authors
  1. P. Barbaresi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. Conti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. Manzoni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Supported in part by funds granted by Italian Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barbaresi, P., Conti, F. & Manzoni, T. Topography and receptive field organization of the body midline representation in the ventrobasal complex of the cat. Exp Brain Res 54, 327–336 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236234

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236234

Key words

Search

Navigation