| Abstract: | Responses of 252 neurons of the mediodorsal nucleus (MD) and 329 cells of the pulvinar-posterolateral complex (Pulv-LP) of the thalamus to single and combined stimulation of peripheral receptor systems (visual, auditory, and somatosensory) were investigated in acute experiments on cats anesthetized with a mixture of pentobarbital and chloralose. Three types of responses of these thalamic units to peripheral stimulation were distinguished: quickening of spontaneous activity (Pulv-LP 32.0, MD 20.6%), inhibition (Pulv-LP 21.0, MD 24.2%), and mixed (Pulv-8.8, LP MD 4.0%). No response was found in 37.4% of Pulv-LP neurons and 51.2% of MD neurons. Besides definite similarity in the organization of the two structures, Pulv-LP and MD also had differences. Responses of the neurons to stimulation of peripheral receptors were divided into three groups on the basis of the duration of their latent period: short (under 20 msec), average (21–40 msec), and long (over 41 msec) latent periods. The second group was the largest.Donetsk Medical Institute. Kemerovo Medical Institute. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 10, No. 5, pp. 469–477, September–October, 1978. |
