[Efferent and afferent connections of the nucleus lateralis posterior thalami ("pulvinar") in the albino rats (author's transl)].
The efferent and afferent connections of the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of the albino rat were investigated light microscopically with the silver-degeneration-methods and the HRP-methods as well. The results are: 1. The main projection region of the LP is the area of 18a of the peristriate visual cortex. Most degenerating axons terminate in layer IV. A few fibers pass layers III and II and terminate in layer I. It is not sure if there are also terminating fibers in layer IV. We could not find a topistic relation between LP and area 18 a. 2. We observed a small number of degenerating fibers in area 17, too. 3. A part of the degenerating fibers runs to the temporal cortex end enters area 20. 4. There is no evidence for a projection of the LP to both the subcortical regions and to the superior colliculus. 5. The majority of the LP's afferent fibers originates - on the subcortical level - from the superior colliculus. Especially the lamina III (Str. opticum) of the ipsilateral and of the contralateral side is here the source of fibers terminating in the LP. 6. Other subcortical sources of fibers terminating in the LP are: the pretectal region, the ventral part of the LGN, the Zona incerta, the thalamic reticular formation, and the dorsal raphe nucleus. 7. There exists a fiber projection of the area 17 to the LP. The axons originate mainly from pyramidal cells in layer V. It is discussed whether the area-17-fibers terminating in the LP are collaterals of the fibers terminating in the superior colliculus. The projection of the area 18a to the LP is of greater importance. The axons of this area originate mainly from cells of the layer VI. It becomes obvious that the thalamic relay-station of the second visual pathway seems to project nearly exclusively to the neocortex. In contrast to the dorsal LGN, however, the LP is not only a simple relay-station for visual information as also non-visual information arrives here. The morphological basis for these inputs has not yet been clarified completely. We have to take into consideration as well as the connections with the superior colliculus and the pretectal region and the cortical connections. It is remarkable that there exists also a projection of LP-fibers to a region outside the classical visual cortex. In mammals of higher evolution that kind of projection extends increasingly. It is discussed if - under comparative-anatomical aspect - the morphological changes in the pulvinar region are an expression of the neocorticalization, whereas the morphological changes in the dorsal LGN reflect mainly the functional specialization of the visual system.
D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology; D000818:Animals; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology
Efferente und afferente Verbindungen des Nucleus laterlia posterior thalami ("Pulvinar") der Ablinoratte.