title: Thalamocortical interactions.
abstract: Glutamatergic pathways dominate information processing in the brain, but these are not homogeneous. They include two distinct types: Class 1, which carries the main information for processing, and Class 2, which serves a modulatory role. Identifying the Class 1 inputs in a circuit can lead to a better understanding of its function. Also, identifying Class 1 inputs to a thalamic nucleus tells us its main function (e.g. the lateral geniculate nucleus, or LGN, is the relay of retinal Class 1 input), and such identification leads to a division of thalamic relays into first and higher order: the former receives Class 1 inputs from subcortical sources; the latter, from layer 5 of cortex, which it then relays to another cortical area. When a cortical area directly connects with another, it often has a parallel, transthalamic connection through these higher order relays. This leads to a novel appreciation of cortical functioning and raises many new questions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, United States. msherman@bsd.uchicago.edu
authors.forename: S Murray
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018698:Glutamic Acid