Thalamus and Muscular Discharge

The role of the human thalamus in processing corollary discharge.

Corollary discharge signals play an important role in monitoring self-generated movements to guarantee spatial constancy. Recent work in macaques suggests that the thalamus conveys corollary discharge information of upcoming saccades passing from the superior colliculus to the frontal eye field. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of the thalamus in humans by assessing the ef...

Effects of repeated 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine administration on neurotransmitter efflux and sensory-evoked discharge in the ventral posterior medial thalamus.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is known to enhance tactile sensory perception, an effect that contributes to its popularity as a recreational drug. The neurophysiological basis for the effects of MDMA on somatosensation are unknown. However, MDMA interactions with the serotonin transporter (SERT) and subsequent enhancement of serotonin neurotransmission are well known. The rat trigemi...

Mathematical Framework for Current Density Imaging Due to Discharge of Electro-muscular Disruption Devices

Electro-muscular disruption (EMD) devices such as TASER M26 and X26 have been used as a less-than-lethal weapon. Such EMD devices shoot a pair of darts toward an intended target to generate an incapacitating electrical shock. In the use of the EMD device, there have been controversial questions about its safety and effectiveness. To address these questions, we need to investigate the distributi...

Stimulation of the MLR inhibits the discharge of dorsal horn neurons responsive to muscular contraction.

We found that electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) inhibited the discharge of deep dorsal horn neurons receiving group III afferent input from the triceps surae muscles. In contrast, contraction of these muscles induced by electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve activated these dorsal horn neurons. Our findings show that descending central motor commands can inh...

Visual thalamus, “it’s complicated”