Neuronal processing in cerebral cortex and signal transmission from cortex to brain stem have been studied extensively, but little is known about the numerous feedback pathways that ascend from brain stem to cortex. In this study, we characterized the signals conveyed through an ascending pathway coursing from the superior colliculus (SC) to the frontal eye field (FEF) via mediodorsal thalamus ...

Humans are remarkably proficient at some sophisticated and abstract tasks such as learning, memory and flexibility. These tasks depend on the prefrontal cortex, the cortical region most evolved in primates (Fuster, 2001; Miller & Cohen, 2001). The prefrontal cortex includes the most anterior structures of the frontal lobes, with some imprecise anatomical boundaries between different species of ...

2 a common functional identity is determined by the same type of structure and connections, whatever the mammal examined. … stratiographic analogy, grossly appreciated in Nissl or Weigert preparations, constitutes a valuable data point, but it is not completely decisive or infallible. – Cajal (1988, p 524). Introduction In histological preparations, a signature granular cell layer distinguishes...

To identify the brain areas involved in central command, four monkeys were trained to attenuate the tachycardia of exercise while different brain sites affecting heart rate (HR) were simultaneously stimulated electrically. Among 24 brain sites located mostly in the limbic structures, we have identified four types of control systems that mediate cardiovascular and motor behavior during exercise....

The mediodorsal thalamus (MD) likely plays an important role in cognition as it receives abundant afferent connections from the amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Indeed, disturbed activity within the MD is thought to precipitate cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. As compounds acting at the Group II metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors (subtypes mGlu2/mGlu3) have efficacy i...

BACKGROUND Executive cognitive functions, including working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition, are impaired in schizophrenia. Executive functions rely on coordinated information processing between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and thalamus, particularly the mediodorsal nucleus. This raises the possibility that anatomical connectivity between the PFC and mediodorsal thalamus may be 1) ...

Unlike focal or partial epilepsy, which has a confined range of influence, idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) often affects the whole or a larger portion of the brain without obvious, known cause. It is important to understand the underlying network which generates epileptic activity and through which epileptic activity propagates. The aim of the present study was to investigate the thalamoc...

The binding sites of nociceptin (also named orphanin FQ), the endogenous ligand of ORL1 (opiate receptor like 1), were localized in rat brain, using an autoradiographic procedure. High levels of binding were observed in the cingulate, retrosplenial, perirhinal, insular and occipital cortex, anterior and posteromedial cortical amygdaloid nuclei, basolateral amygdaloid nucleus, amygdaloid complex...