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Drivers from the deep: the contribution of collicular input to thalamocortical processing
Robert H Wurtz1, Marc A Sommer, James Cavanaugh
1Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4435, USA. bob@lsr.nei.nih.gov
Progress in Brain Research
|October 18, 2005
Summary
Motor pathways to higher-order thalamus act as drivers, not modulators. These inputs from subcortical areas, like the superior colliculus, dictate neuronal activity, similar to sensory drivers in first-order thalamic nuclei.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Thalamic circuitry
- Sensory and motor processing
Background:
- The thalamus traditionally functions as a sensory relay station, with first-order neurons driven by sensory input.
- Higher-order thalamic nuclei receive input from both the cerebral cortex and subcortical movement-related centers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether ascending motor inputs to higher-order thalamic nuclei function as drivers or modulators.
- To re-evaluate the role of subcortical inputs in thalamic function.
Main Methods:
- Neuronal recording
- Inactivation studies
- Stimulation of pathways from the superior colliculus through the thalamus to the cerebral cortex.
Main Results:
- Inputs from subcortical oculomotor areas, including the superior colliculus, significantly influence higher-order thalamic nuclei.
- These inputs dictate the activity of target neurons, functioning as 'motor drivers'.
Conclusions:
- Subcortical motor inputs to higher-order thalamic nuclei should be classified as drivers, analogous to sensory drivers in first-order nuclei.
- These motor drivers are integral to feedback loops providing information about impending actions.