Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the relationship between posterior complex (POm) and ventral posterior medial nucleus (VPM) in the rat thalamus. The first experiments in the series are aimed at determining whether the pathway relaying in POm provides sensory information to the cortex. Rats are anesthetized with urethane to produce a plane of anesthesia that mimics slow-wave sleep, and microelectrode penetrations are directed vertically to the thalamus. As the electrode descends through POm, the body is searched for a receptive field whenever a single unit is isolated. Sequences of receptive fields reveal an orderly representation of the body surface in POm. In addition, to test the idea that the cortex influences the flow of sensory information through the secondary pathway, the response of POm and VPM cells is measured to whisker movement before, during, and after suppression of the barrel cortex. Barrel cortex is suppressed by application of magnesium or by cooling; cortical status is assessed continuously by an electrocorticogram. To look for long-term plasticity in the communication between barrels, the sensory experience of awake rats is altered by pairing two whiskers.
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