Cingulate cortex response to electrical stimulation of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus

Electrical stimulation of the lateral, parvocellular part of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus of the rabbit was found to evoke field potentials and drive single cells in the anterior cingulate cortex. Furthermore, the laminar distribution of the field responses and the population of effected cells were dependent on the frequency of the stimulation. Excitatory current sinks were produced in layers I and III (primary layers of mediodorsal input) only when the stimulus frequency was in the theta range (6 to 8 Hz); the majority of cells were reliably driven only by stimulation within this range. Lower-frequency stimulation, e.g., 0.5 Hz, produced a current sink in layer V. Cells that were driven at low frequencies might be antidromically activated. The study suggests that modulation of mediodorsal outflow in the theta range may be necessary for effective information transfer to the cortex.