Specific patterns of neuron arrangement and of synaptic articulation in the medial geniculate body

Golgi and electron microscopic analysis of the known cellular layers in concentric shells of the ventro-lateral portion of the medial geniculate body revealed a flat grid of high density neuropil filling the space between the geniculocortical relay cells, forming essentially a single cell layer in each lamina. The "skeleton" of this neuropil grid is made up by the interdigitating dendritic tufts of the geniculocortical relay cells, joined together by a rich system of desmosomoid adhesion plaques. The "holes" of the "skeleton" are filled in by the multilobed dendritic appendages of Golgi type II interneurons and the grape-like terminals of the inferior collicular specific afferents. Additional axon terminals of other sources--terminals of descending corticogenicular fibers, axons of the Golgi type II interneurons and terminals of the initial collaterals of the geniculocortical relay cells--contribute only to a very insignificant fraction of neuropil volume. The Golgi type II interneurons are oriented in perpendicular direction to the cell layers so that they may bridge with their dendrites several successive layers. Although the general expression "synaptic glomeruli" used in other relay nuclei for this type of specific synaptic arrangement is hardly applicable to this grid-like neuropil, the essential synaptic articulation pattern of all thalamic relay nuclei is well maintained. The specific inferior collicular afferents are presynaptic to both relay cell dendrites and to the multilobed dendritic appendages of Golgi type II cells, which in turn are presynaptic to the same dendritic regions of the relay cells receiving the bulk of the specific afferents.