Visuo-limbic interactions. Evidence for a pathway from the pulvinar to the cingulate cortex.
Synaptic-terminal degeneration was analyzed in 18 specimens of Octodon degus after stereotaxic lesions in the pulvinar nucleus. Aside from the cortical targets of the pulvinar (Kuljis et al. 1979), a conspicuous projection towards the nucleus lateralis dorsalis of the thalamus (LD) was observed. The LD is known to receive fibers from the fornix (Valenstein and Nauta 1959), and to project heavily over the cingulate cortex (Locke et al. 1964; Ajmone Marsan 1965; Graybiel 1974); we have confirmed the latter projection in 3 operated specimens of Octodon degus. The possibility is discussed, in the light of these findings, that the pulvino-LD pathway may be important for the purposes of visuo-limbic interactions.
D000818:Animals; D004566:Electrodes; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D008032:Limbic System / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D012377:Rodentia; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*