Thalamic connectivity of rat somatic motor cortex

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate certain organizational features regarding the connectional relationships between the somatic motor cortex (SMI) and dorsal thalamus in the rat. This was accomplished by applying microiontophoretically horseradish peroxidase and tritiated amino acids into low threshold stimulation sites within hindlimb, forelimb and face representations of the SMI as defined by intracortical microstimulation. Injections into the SMI produced labeling in distinct sets of specific and non-specific thalamic nuclei. The former included the ventrolateral (VL), ventromedial (VM), posteromedial (Pom) and posterior (Po) nuclei, and the latter included the centrolateral (CL), paracentral (PC), centromedial (CeM) and parafascicular (PF) nuclei. The densest labeling, both retrograde and anterograde, was found in the VL, and to a slightly lesser extent, in the Pom nuclei. Labeling of specific nuclei was more extensive than in non-specific groups. Thalamic-SMI projections were reciprocal in nature with the exception of the reticular thalamic nucleus (R). The ventrobasal (VB) nucleus was labeled only after injections into the SMI representations of the hindlimb and forelimb. A topographic organization between the SMI and dorsal thalamic nuclei was indicated by the varied position of label following injections into different cortical representations. Injections into the hindlimb representation resulted in labeling in the rostrodorsolateral VL, ventrolateral VM, rostrodorsomedial Pom, dorsal Po, rostrodorsolateral R, dorsolateral PF, CL and PC. In contrast, injections into the face representation resulted in labeling in the caudoventromedial VL, dorsolateral VM, caudoventrolateral Pom, ventral Po, caudoventromedial R, ventrolateral PF, the PC, CeM and ventral CL. The position of thalamic labeling following injections into the forelimb representation was intermediate between that for hindlimb and face representations. In coronal section, distinct patterns of labeling were identified in all specific thalamic nuclei following injections into each topographic region of the SMI. In the VL, labeling appeared as an obliquely-oriented, longitudinal strip or band (more C-shaped following injections of the hindlimb representation); in the VM as a horizontal strip; in the Pom as an irregular V-shaped band; and in the Po as a circular-to-ovoid cluster. No distinct patterns of labeling were discerned in non-specific nuclei. Labeling in the anterior grouping of non-specific nuclei overlapped to a large extent, but this was not the case in either the specific thalamic nuclei or the PF nucleus. These findings are compared with those previously reported in the rat, and are discussed with regard to both the functional organization of the rat SMI and the interconnectional relations between the SMI and dorsal thalamus in other species.