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PubMed1989

Bilateral germ cell tumors involving the basal ganglia and thalamus.

Two cases of a human chorionic gonadotropin-producing germ cell tumor originating bilaterally in the basal ganglia and thalamus are reported. The biological behavior and clinical characteristics were similar to those of unilateral germinomas involving the basal ganglia and thalamus. Common clinical features were slowly progressive unilateral pyramidal signs and bilateral and/or unilateral extrapyramidal signs which occurred either concomitantly or sequentially. Bilateral symmetrical lesions were demonstrated by computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging at an early stage of illness. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid human chorionic gonadotropin levels were elevated (116 and 141 mIU/ml, respectively) but decreased and remained within normal limits after radiation therapy alone. Radiosensitivity was confirmed by repeated computed tomographic scans and tumor marker measurements. Multiple concomitant germ cell tumors is a rare, but interesting lesion, especially considering its pathogenesis and oncogenesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Molecular organization of the ferret visual thalamus.

The visual system encodes and deciphers information using parallel, anatomically segregated, processing streams. To reveal patterns of gene expression in the visual thalamus correlated with physiological processing streams, we designed a custom ferret cDNA microarray. By isolating specific subregions and layers of the thalamus, we identified a set of transcription factors, including Zic2, Islet1, and Six3, the unique distribution profiles of which differentiated the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) from the associated perigeniculate nucleus. Within the LGN, odd homeobox1 differentiated the A layers, which contain X cells and Y cells, from the C layers. One neuron-specific protein, Purkinje cell protein 4 (PCP4), was strongly expressed in Y cells in the ferret LGN and in the magnocellular layers of the primate LGN. In the ferret LGN, PCP4 expression began as early as postnatal day 7 (P7), suggesting that Y cells are already specified by P7. These results reveal a rich molecular repertoire that correlates with functional divisions of the LGN.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Extensive edema in the thalamus caused by thrombosed basilar artery aneurysm.

A 69-year-old female presented with sudden onset of truncal ataxia, urinary incontinence, mental confusion, and Parinaud's sign. With conservative treatment, her ataxia and urinary incontinence resolved. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging disclosed a round mass with laminated intramural hemorrhage in the third ventricle. Right vertebral angiography demonstrated a giant aneurysm in the distal basilar artery. Xenon-enhanced computed tomography showed that cerebral blood flow (CBF) was reduced in the thalamus bilaterally and was paradoxically decreased by acetazolamide. Two months later, MR imaging showed that the intramural hemorrhage had shrunk, and the edema in the thalamus was resolving. The CBF reduction and vascular response to acetazolamide had reversed to some extent. A partially thrombosed giant aneurysm can grow acutely as the result of fresh intramural hemorrhage. The edema is secondary to ischemia and loss of vasoresponsivity.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Mapping the effects of SI cortex stimulation on somatosensory relay neurons in the rat thalamus: direct responses and afferent modulation.

We have used single-unit recording techniques to map the spatial distribution of the primary somatosensory (SI) cortical influences on thalamic somatosensory relay nuclei in the rat. A total of 193 microelectrode penetrations were made to record single neurons in tracks through the medial and lateral ventroposterior (VPL and VPM), ventrolateral (VL), posterior (Po), and reticular (nRt) thalamic nuclei. Single units were classified according to their (1) location within the nuclei, (2) receptive fields, and (3) response to standardized microstimulation in deep layers of the SI cortical forepaw areas. The SI stimulation produced short-latency (1- to 7-msec) excitatory responses in different percentages of neurons recorded in the following thalamic nuclei: VPL, 42.0%; Po, 25.0%; nRt, 16.4%; VL, 13.6%; and VPM, 9.9%. Within the VPL, the highest proportion of responsive neurons was found in the anterior region. Although most of the VL region was unresponsive, the caudal subregion bordering the rostral VPL showed some responsiveness (13.6% of neurons). In general, the spatial pattern of corticothalamic influences appeared to reciprocate the known thalamocortical connection patterns, but with a heterogeneity that was unpredicted. The same parameters of SI cortical stimulation were used in studies of corticofugal modulation of afferent transmission through the VPL thalamus. A condition-test (C-T) paradigm was implemented in which the cortical stimulation (C) was delivered at a range of time intervals before test (T) mechanical vibratory stimulation was applied to digit 4 of the contralateral forepaw. The time course of cortical effects was analyzed by measuring the averaged evoked unit responses of thalamic neurons to the T stimuli, and plotting them as a function of C-T intervals from 5 to 50 msec. Of the 20 VPL neurons tested during SI stimulation, the average response to T stimulation was decreased a mean of 36%, with the suppression peaking (at 49% inhibition of the afferent response) about 15 msec after the C stimulus. Considerable rostrocaudal variation was observed, however. Whereas neurons in the rostral VPL (near VL) were strongly inhibited (-69%), neurons in the middle and caudal VPL exhibited facilitations at long and short C-T intervals, respectively. This study establishes a specific projection system from the forepaw region of SI cortex to different subregions of the VPL thalamus, producing specific temporal patterns of sensory modulation.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1991

Neuronal responses in ventroposterolateral nucleus of thalamus in monkeys (Macaca mulatta) during active touch of gratings.

Responses of single neurons were recorded from the ventroposterolateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus while a monkey stroked its fingertips over gratings. Monkeys were trained to stroke the gratings with consistent downward applied force and velocity of hand motion. Neurons were selected with receptive fields on the glabrous digits. Average firing rate was computed for a range of grating groove widths; groove width corresponded to roughness. Force and velocity were measured. VPL responses were compared to previously reported responses in primary somatosensory cortex (SI) under identical stimulus conditions, and to reports of peripheral afferent fiber responses to passively applied gratings. VPL responses more closely resembled those of peripheral afferent fibers than those of SI in important respects: lack of independent responses to roughness, force, and velocity; high temporal and force fidelity; and response patterns that closely followed the shape of elevated metal strips used to separate pairs of gratings. The presence in cortex of response patterns not seen in the thalamus, such as response independence and negative correlations to groove width, suggests that they stem from cortical processing.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1993

The immediate effects of peripheral denervation on inhibitory mechanisms in the somatosensory thalamus.

Multiunit recordings were made in the ventroposterior lateral nucleus of the thalamus in anesthetized raccoons. During recording from cells responding to cutaneous stimulation of a forepaw digit, the corresponding digit was denervated permanently (by cutting its four digital nerves) or temporarily (by injecting lidocaine into the base of the digit). Both procedures resulted in immediate increases in the inhibition that could be induced by stimulation of the adjacent digits when the original cutaneous receptive field was on the glabrous skin. In each case with temporary denervation, this enhanced off-focus inhibition decreased when the excitatory responses returned to normal. In contrast, temporary denervation of the digit during recording at sites in the hairy skin representation did not reveal this increased inhibition from adjacent digits. When capsaicin was applied to the digital nerves in two animals, the excitatory receptive fields of thalamic neurons increased in area, but were still restricted to the same part of the digit. These data indicate that the immediate unmasking of inhibitory responses, previously reported in primary somatosensory cortex of the raccoon, is also present in the thalamus. The capsaicin-induced expansion of excitatory receptive fields confirms previous experiments in other species, and suggests that C fibers play a role in modulating the size of cutaneous receptive fields. However, the enlargement of excitatory receptive fields by capsaicin is much less than the unmasking of inhibitory fields induced by digit denervation, and indicates that different mechanisms are involved in controlling these various inputs to thalamic neurons.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1994

Somatovisceral projections from spinal cord and dorsal column nuclei to the thalamus in hedgehog tenrecs.

In order first to overcome the difficulties in understanding the increasing amount of information available regarding the mammalian somatosensory thalamus, and then to correlate the findings among different species and integrate them into a general concept of thalamic organization, the present study investigated the spinothalamic and medial lemniscal projections in Madagascan hedgehog tenrecs (Echinops telfairi and Setifer setosus). Tracer substances were injected into the dorsal column nuclei and into spinal segments at various levels; additional injections were made into the inferior colliculus. The ascending somesthetic projections were to predominantly contralateral posterolateral target areas, and were almost mirror-like on both sides to intralaminar and medial thalamic nuclei. The densest and most extensive projections, originating mainly from the high cervical spinal cord and the dorsal column nuclei, reached the posterolateral thalamus caudal to the lateral geniculate nucleus. This region was difficult to subdivide cytoarchitecturally; nevertheless, on the basis of its labeling pattern, several subdivisions could be described and preliminary named. Some of them compared tentatively with the internal portion of the medial geniculate nucleus (GM) and the ventral posterior nuclear complex (VPC) in more differentiated mammals. The most prominent subdivision, however, located subjacent to the lateral surface of the brainstem, was shown to receive additional fibers from the inferior colliculus. This region might be considered a further subdivision of GM, VPC, a perigeniculate area, and/or a region of its own not comparable at present, with thalamic regions in other mammals. On the other hand, it may also be a remnant of the hypothetical, diffuse multimodal region from which GM and VPC have possibly evolved.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1996

Postnatal development of mouse "whisker" thalamus: ventroposterior medial nucleus (VPM), barreloids, and their thalamocortical relay neurons.

We followed developmental changes in "barreloid" thalamocortical relay cell (TCR) dendritic arbors between postnatal day 5 (P5; birth = P0) and adulthood. Single neurons in 150- to 250-microns coronal or oblique slices through the somatosensory thalamus in mice of different postnatal ages were injected with lucifer yellow (LY) under direct visualization. Filled cells in the ventroposterior medial nucleus (VPM) were imaged with a confocal microscope, and rendered and analyzed on a computer workstation with special-purpose software. The whisker representation in the thalamus, as revealed by the pattern of barreloids, was demonstrated by oblique illumination of the slices and/or later cytochrome oxidase (CO) staining. VPM cross-sectional area trebles from P5 to adulthood. Barreloids (single-whisker representations) are well delineated in unstained sections until P10-P11; thereafter, barreloids can only be recognized with difficulty with the CO stain. Thalamocortical relay cell (TCR) somal volumes increase rapidly in the first 2 weeks. The number of primary dendrites does not change, nor does the length of the primary dendritic segments, from P5 to adulthood; however, distal dendritic segments elongate and increase in number. Dendritic arbors are confined on P5 to single barreloids; in adults they extend to adjacent barreloids. The postnatal transformation of dendritic arbors by process growth to adjacent barreloids is mainly completed by P18. A change in the developmental role of these cells, from instructing whisker pattern formation to integrating sensory information from more than one whisker, thus occurs after the whisker pattern in the barrel cortex is established. It coincides with the age at which animals are known to begin exploratory whisking behaviors. The mechanism appears to be by growth and remodeling of distal dendrites rather than by oriented growth and regression, as has been reported for stellate cells in cortical whisker barrels.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Organisation of the cortical projection to the zona incerta of the thalamus.

In this study, we examined the organisation of the cortical projection to a small nucleus of the ventral thalamus called the zona incerta. Injections of biotinylated dextran were made into various cytoarchitectonically defined cortical areas of Sprague-Dawley rats, including the frontal (Fr1), cingulate (Cg1), parietal (Par1), forelimb (FL), and occipital (Oc1), and the patterns of anterograde labelling were examined in the zona incerta. In addition, injections of cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) were made into the zona incerta itself, and the laminar locations of retrogradely labelled cells were examined. Brains were then fixed in aldehyde and processed by using standard methods. After injections of dextran into the different cortical areas, the distribution and number of labelled terminals in the zona incerta were quite different. In terms of number, Cg1 had the heaviest projection to the zona incerta, whereas Oc1 had the weakest. In terms of distribution, three distinct patterns were evident. Firstly, labelled terminals were seen in distinct clusters in the dorsal and ventral sectors, usually one overlying the other (Fr1, FL, Par1). Secondly, labelled terminals were seen occupying much broader zones in the dorsal (and rostral) sector (Cg1). Thirdly, very few labelled terminals were seen in any incertal sector (Oc1). Thus, these results suggest that not all cortical areas project to the zona incerta equally, with some areas having stronger projections to this nucleus than others. From our CTB injections into the zona incerta itself, we show that all retrogradely labelled cells in the neocortex were limited to layer V. We suggest a possible thalamic circuit involving the zona incerta, the thalamic reticular nucleus (the other major nucleus of the ventral thalamus), and the two types of corticothalamic afferents (from layer VI and V).

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Progressive transneuronal changes in the brainstem and thalamus after long-term dorsal rhizotomies in adult macaque monkeys.

This study deals with a potential brainstem and thalamic substrate for the extensive reorganization of somatosensory cortical maps that occurs after chronic, large-scale loss of peripheral input. Transneuronal atrophy occurred in neurons of the dorsal column (DCN) and ventral posterior lateral thalamic (VPL) nuclei in monkeys subjected to cervical and upper thoracic dorsal rhizotomies for 13-21 years and that had shown extensive representational plasticity in somatosensory cortex and thalamus in other experiments. Volumes of DCN and VPL, number and sizes of neurons, and neuronal packing density were measured by unbiased stereological techniques. When compared with the opposite, unaffected, side, the ipsilateral cuneate nucleus (CN), external cuneate nucleus (ECN), and contralateral VPL showed reductions in volume: 44-51% in CN, 37-48% in ECN, and 32-38% in VPL. In the affected nuclei, neurons were progressively shrunken with increasing survival time, and their packing density increased, but there was relatively little loss of neurons (10-16%). There was evidence for loss of axons of atrophic CN cells in the medial lemniscus and in the thalamus, with accompanying severe disorganization of the parts of the ventral posterior nuclei representing the normally innervated face and the deafferented upper limb. Secondary transneuronal atrophy in VPL, associated with retraction of axons of CN neurons undergoing primary transneuronal atrophy, is likely to be associated with similar withdrawal of axons from the cerebral cortex and should be a powerful influence on reorganization of somatotopic maps in the somatosensory cortex.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Cells in the posterior thalamus project to both amygdala and temporal cortex: a quantitative retrograde double-labeling study in the rat.

Auditory information from the posterior thalamus reaches the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) by way of two pathways: a direct thalamo-amygdala projection and a polysynaptic thalamo-cortico-amygdala projection. However, the quantitative extent of thalamic neurons that project to the LA or to the auditory association cortex (AAC) is not known. Furthermore, the extent and topographical distribution of bifurcating cells that project to both LA and AAC are also unknown. Therefore, separate tracers were injected into LA and either into all of AAC or within discrete regions of AAC, such as temporal areas TE3 or perirhinal cortex (PRh), and quantitative analyses were performed on labeling within the subregions of the auditory thalamus in rats. Following LA injections, retrogradely labeled cells were most numerous in the posterior intralaminar nucleus (PIN; 48.0% of all labeled thalamic cells), whereas labeled cells following injections of the entire AAC were most numerous in the dorsal division of the medial geniculate nucleus (MGd; 32.9% of all labeled thalamic cells). Following AAC injections localized to only TE3, the MGd again had the majority of labeled cells (35.9%), whereas following AAC injections localized to PRh, the PIN had the most labeled cells (32.8%). Double-labeled cells were found in all the thalamic regions studied and were most commonly observed in the PIN (43.7% of all double-labeled cells following injections into LA and throughout the AAC). The percentage of double-labeled cells as a proportion of either LA-projecting or AAC-projecting cells varied among the thalamic nuclei studied, ranging from 2.9% up to 42.4%. The topographic distribution of double-labeled cells in the thalamic nuclei resembled that of single-labeled cells following LA injections more than single-labeled cells following AAC injection. These findings suggest that double-labeled cells contribute substantially to many of the direct thalamo-amygdala and indirect thalamo-AAC-amygdala projections. Among other functions, these bifurcating cells may help regulate the processing of input to the LA arriving from these two pathways to allow for certain types of plasticity in the LA during fear conditioning.

Amygdala↗
PubMed2000

Deep brain stimulation of the Vim nucleus of the thalamus for the treatment of tremor.

The surgical treatment of tremor has evolved considerably in the past few years. Of the several conditions associated with severe tremor, the most common are Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET). Levodopa therapy reduced drastically the number of patients with PD who require surgery because of inadequate control. However, there remains a small number of "tremor dominant" PD patients for whom surgical treatment is often the best option. The ventralis intermediate nucleus (Vim) of the thalamus has been the preferred surgical target for the treatment of parkinsonian tremor for many years, but this is now challenged by the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of either target possesses high therapeutic efficacy against tremor in PD. ET may be difficult to treat pharmacologically. Thalamotomy is an effective surgical procedure for ameliorating ET but may be associated with persistent neurologic deficits. DBS of the thalamus is also a highly effective means of reducing ET. DBS appears to be safer than thalamotomy and is now the recommended surgical procedure.

Electric Stimulation Therapy↗
PubMed1999

The dynamic spatio-temporal behavior of visual responses in thalamus and cortex.

Due to eye and object movements the visual world changes on a rather fast time scale and the neuronal network of the primary visual pathway has to immediately react to these changes. Accordingly the neuronal activity patterns in the visual thalamus and cortex show a pronounced dynamic behavior which reenters the circuitry such that the actual cell responses are also guided by the activation history of the network. Thus, spatial and temporal aspects of visual receptive fields change not only by means of the actual visual stimulation hut also as a consequence of the state of the network. In this short review we summarize the different aspects which can influence the temporal firing patterns of cells in the visual thalamus (lateral geniculate nucleus, LGN) mainly by demonstrating how their inter-spike interval distributions will change. We then show that these firing patterns are able to change the spatial shape of receptive fields in the visual cortex (see Fig. 12 for a summary diagram). Finally, by means of a biophysical model, we will argue that the observed changes could serve to adjust the temporal and spatial resolution within the primary visual pathway to the different demands for information processing in an attentive as compared to a non-attentive state.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

[Effects of noxious stimuli on the discharges of pain-excitation neurons and pain-inhibition neurons in the nucleus ventralis posterolalis of thalamus in the rat and a modulating action of electroacupuncture on its electric activities].

The somatic and visceral noxious stimuli could simultaneously induce the increase of discharges of pain-excitation neurons (PEN) and the decrease of discharges of pain-inhibition neurons (PIN) in the Nucleus Ventralis posterolalis (VPL) of thalamus in the rat, and the electric activities of the two kinds of neurons cooperated each other. By the injection of morphine (5 mg/kg) and the electroacupuncture of "zusanli", the discharges of PEN were reduced and the discharges of PIN were enhanced. The results suggested that VPL of thalamus in the rat be involved in the modulating action on pain sensation and the analgesic effects of morphine and electroacupuncture by the simultaneous electric activities of PEN and PIN in VPL.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Effect of prefrontal cortex stimulation on the activity of pain-related neurons in parafascicular nucleus of thalamus in rats].

The effects of PFC stimulation on spontaneous and evoked discharges of neurons of parafascicular nucleus of thalamus were observed in rats. The results show that after PFC stimulation spontaneous of 78.7% PEN (48/61) and evoked discharges on noxious stimulation of 76.6% PEN (46/60) were decreased; spontaneous discharges of 72% PIN (18/25) were increased; inhibition response on noxious stimulation of 70.8% PIN (17/24) were decreased; and spontaneous discharges of 66.7% CON (6/9) and evoked discharges on noxious stimulation of 55.6% CON (5/9) were decreased. The results suggest that PFC might have analgesia action which was accomplished by modulating electric activities of pain-related neurons of parafascicular nucleus in thalamus.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

[Relationship between a state of sleep and wakefulness and transmission of an afferent signal through the posterior ventral nucleus of the thalamus].

Chronic experiments were carried out on nonanesthetized cats. A study was made of peculiarities attending the transmission of the afferent signals and the following inhibitory processes in the posterior ventral nucleus of the thalamus, depending on the state of sleep and wakefulness. Transmission of the signals decreases during the dreaming condition and the slow-wave sleep, and increases during the active states of alert cats. In paradoxical sleep the signal transmission is at the same level as such at resting wakeful condition. A marked transmission fluctuation is seen during the dreaming state and in the course of the first phase of sleep. The level of signal transmission is the most stable during the active states. The degree of the trance inhibitory process after the afferent signal transmission depends on the level of anesthesia, wakefulness and natural sleep. Processes following the afferent signal transmission in the posterior ventral nucleus of the thalamus show a radical difference in the barbituiate-anesthetized in comparison with nonanesthetized animals. The trace inhibition, so characteristic of anesthesia, was expressed in the dreaming state of the animal but insignificantly; in the wakeful condition it is not manifested at all.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1990

Amygdalar interaction with the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in stimulus-reward associative learning in the monkey.

Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were assessed for their ability to associate visual stimuli with food reward. They learned a series of new 2-choice visual discriminations between colored patterns displayed on a monitor screen. The feedback for correct choice was the delivery of food. In order to promote associative learning between the visual stimuli and the incentive value of the food reward, reward delivery was not accompanied by any distinctive visual feedback on the display screen. The rate of learning new problems was assessed before and after surgery in a total of 16 monkeys. Three groups of 3 monkeys received bilaterally symmetrical ablations in either the amygdala, the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus, or the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. All these groups showed a severe postoperative learning impairment. Seven other animals were given a unilateral ablation in 1 of those 3 structures and a second unilateral ablation, in each case contralateral to and different from the first, in order to produce 2 groups in which a putative amygdalo-thalamo-prefrontal pathway had been disconnected by crossed unilateral lesions. One disconnection group had lesions in the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex; the other had lesions in the amygdala and the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus. The disconnection groups showed a significant impairment, but the effect of the disconnection surgeries was significantly milder than the effect of any of the 3 bilaterally symmetrical lesions. Therefore, symmetrical bilateral lesions in either the amygdala, the mediodorsal nucleus, or the ventromedial prefrontal cortex produce similar impairments in the present task, implying that these structures are functionally related to each other; but the relatively mild effect of disconnecting these structures from each other argues against the hypothesis that they are serial stages in a single, tightly linked functional pathway.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1990

[A case of neonatal herpes simplex virus encephalitis with calcifications of thalamus and basal ganglia].

A male infant developed left-sided myoclonus associated with low grade fever at 21 days of age. The course of pregnancy and delivery had been uneventful. Birth weight was 2,240g at 38 weeks of gestation. Physical examination at 26 days of age revealed hyperirritability and incomplete Moro reflex. EEG showed periodic discharges originating in the right central region. Initial brain CT at 26 days of age showed no apparent abnormality. In lumbar CSF protein was 173 mg/dl, and nucleated cells 328/mm3 (polynuclear cells 6 and mononuclear cells 322). Cultures of CSF for bacteria and viruses were negative. Although, the serum titers of CF antibody to herpes simplex virus (HSV) were 1:4 to 1:8 during hospitalization and those in CSF were not increased significantly, ELISA titers for IgG and IgM in serum and CSF rose significantly. The diagnosis of HSV encephalitis was made at 41 days of age. His myoclonus was well controlled with phenobarbital and clonazepam. He was treated with acyclovir and CSF findings returned to normal. On 2nd brain CT (39 days of age), calcification at thalamus, basal ganglia and right frontal lobe, which is extremely rare CT findings for HSV encephalitis, was noticed. His DQ at discharge was about 90. It is emphasized that the early diagnosis of HSV encephalitis can be made by ELISA and serial brain CT examinations, and that HSV encephalitis should be considered when calcification of thalamus and basal ganglia are detected on brain CT.

Basal Ganglia Diseases↗