Thalamic inputs to visual areas 1 and 2 in the rabbit.
Thalamic projections to two cortical representations of the visual field, visual areas 1 and 2 (V1, V2), in the rabbit were studied by using the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Physiological guidance was employed to inject small amounts of HRP into topographically defined regions of V1 or V2. Injections restricted to V1 revealed a dense projection from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus as well as projections from the pulvinar, the posterior thalamic nucleus, and the ventral lateral nucleus. Injections restricted to V2 revealed projections from the pulvinar, the ventral lateral nucleus, and the posterior thalamic nucleus, but only a slight projection from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. V2, but not V1, receives an input from neurons within the fiber plexus between the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and the pulvinar. Finally, the neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus that project to V2 have larger somata on average than those that project to V1 (means = 18.25 micron vs. 14.04 micron, P less than .001).
D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D011817:Rabbits; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology
D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase