Separate Relays of Tactile, Pressure, Thermal, and Gustatory Modalities in the Gat Thalamus.

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Abstract
Summary An analysis was made of response patterns of 60 neurons in the cat thalamus which were modified by stimulation of limited loci of the tongue with tactile, pressure, thermal, and taste stimuli. This analysis revealed the following. 1. Except for the activity elicited by tongue stimulation with ice water, responses of the neurons were modality specific. 2. Tactile stimuli activated certain thalamic neurons which were grouped in a separate cluster from those responding to pressure. Such an organization indicated the existence of separate sensory systems for touch and pressure. 3. Neurons were found which were activated by lowering of the tongue temperature within a particular range. They did not respond to ice water if the tongue was preceded to 22°C. 4. Taste is relayed in a particular nucleus of the cat thalamus. Anatomically this nucleus has been described in the human thalamus as the nucleus semilunaris accessorius. It is suggested that this term be adopted for designating a homologous nucleus in the cat thalamus. 5. Since responses to taste stimuli were conveyed to the thalamus ipsilaterally, an ipsilateral pathway should exist. The anatomical description of such a pathway awaits future work.

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