[Unit activity in the thalamic reticular nucleus during external stimulation in cats taught an instrumental...

Application of heteromodal extrastimuli (ES) promotes selected excitation of most of the responding neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus (R). Twelve of 32 tested neurons responded to visual ES and 4 from 21 tested neurons responded to auditory ES. Initial responses of neurons and quantity of cells with initial responses decreased during habituation to ES. Grouped discharges disappeared after external stimulation. Initial responses to ES and to the following conditional stimulus appeared during external inhibition (EI), while late responses usually accompanying conditioning were inhibited almost in half of the studied neurons. It was suggested that R neurons participated in EI and in habituation to ES.