CONTROL OF CENTRAL VISUAL PATHWAYS BY THE BRAINSTEM

丘脑外侧膝状体核(LGN)见于 眼睛和视皮层之间的神经通路，它控制着流量 视觉信息在很大程度上是通过影响大脑 脑干中的特定核团。来自脑干的通路可以 强烈地影响LGN，并被认为反映行为状态， 如唤醒或注意力和眼球运动的发生。然而， 这些脑干回路的解剖学和生理学都不是很好。 明白了。这项研究将提供全面的、多学科的 对脑干结构和功能影响的描述 LGN。在这样做的过程中，这些研究将更广泛地阐明 丘脑在将感觉信息传递到大脑皮质中的作用 它们将有助于理解潜在的关键神经元素的作用 幻象。 目标1和目标3是演示电气和化学的影响 单个脑干核团对细胞外和细胞内的激活 LGN细胞对视觉刺激的反应。目标2和4是为了描述，在 光镜和电子显微镜水平通过逆行和 顺行示踪剂与脑干神经元的形态和超微结构 投射到LGN和其他丘脑核团。目标5是确认和 描述丘脑的关键通路，脑干通过这些通路间接 控制LGN。

The thalamic lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is found in the primary neural pathway between the eye and visual cortex, and it controls the flow of visual information to the brain in large measure through the influence of specific nuclei in the brainstem. Pathways from the brainstem can powerfully effect the LGN and are believed to reflect behavioral states, such as arousal or attention and the occurrence of eye movements. HOwever, the anatomy and physiology of these brainstem circuits are not well understood. This research will provide a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary description of the structural and functional influences of the brainstem on the LGN. In doing so, these studies will elucidate, more generally, the role of the thalamus in relaying sensory information to the e cortex, and they will aid in understanding the role of a key neural element underlying vision. Aims 1 and 3 are to demonstrate the effects of electrical and chemical activation of individual brainstem nuclei on the extra- and intracellular responses of LGN cells to visual stimuli. Aims 2 and 4 are to describe, at the light and electron microscopic level by means of retrograde and anterograde tracers, the morphology and ultrastructure of brainstem neurons that project to the LGN and other thalamic nuclei. Aim 5 is to confirm and describe key thalamic pathways through which the brainstem indirectly controls the LGN.