Effects of Optogenetic Activation of Corticothalamic Terminals in the Motor Thalamus of Awake Monkeys

Overview

Journal J Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2016 Mar 26

PMID 27013680

Citations 35

Authors

Adriana Galvan

Xing Hu

Yoland Smith

Thomas Wichmann

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Significance Statement: This study provides the first analysis of the physiological effects of cortical inputs on the activity of neurons in the primate ventral motor thalamus using light activation of opsin-containing corticothalamic terminals in awake monkeys. We found that selective light activation of corticothalamic terminals in contact with distal dendrites of thalamocortical neurons and GABAergic interneurons elicits complex patterns of slowly developing excitatory and inhibitory effects in thalamic neurons of the basal ganglia- and cerebellar-receiving regions of the motor thalamus. Our observations suggest a modulatory (instead of a "driver") role of the corticothalamic system in the primate ventral motor thalamus.

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