RELATIONS BETWEEN CAUDATE AND DIFFUSELY PROJECTING THALAMIC NUCLEI

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Abstract
A study of alterations in the electrical activity of the forebrain induced by stimulating the head of the caudate nucleus, in cats under Nembutal anesthesia, revealed 2 major projections from this part of the basal ganglia. One of these,to stations along a descending extrapyramidal pathway confirms the generally held view that the basal ganglia function in the motor sphere. A 2d major system of connections passes to the diffusely projecting nuclei of the thalamus. Upon caudate stimulation, burst-tripping, driving or desynchronization can be recorded from these nuclei and from cortical regions with which they are connected. The findings indicate the important functional significance of pathways from the basal ganglia to the thalamus revealed by the anatomical studies of Ranson and Papez a decade ago. They suggest that, in addition to their motor function, the basal ganglia may participate in regulating the electrical activity of the brain and hence may play a role in more general cerebral processes.