title: Specific and nonspecific thalamocortical connectivity in the auditory and somatosensory thalamocortical slices.
abstract: Two classes of thalamic nuclei project to either middle layers or upper layers, including layer 1, of the neocortex, and are referred to as 'specific' and 'nonspecific' nuclei, respectively. The electrophysiological properties of the nonspecific nuclei have not been investigated, largely because of the paucity of in vitro slice preparations containing intact nonspecific pathways. In this study, we used flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging to show intact thalamocortical connectivity of nonspecific nuclei in slice preparations of the somatosensory and auditory systems. These preparations will enable the elucidation of electrophysiological properties of nonspecific pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. btheyel@uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Brian B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Theyel
authors.forename: Charles C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S Murray
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005420:Flavoproteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005453:Fluorescence; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005420:Flavoproteins