A study of neuronal circuitry mediating the saccadic suppression in the rabbit.

Stimulation of the deep layers of the superior colliculus (SC) evoked an IPSP in the relay cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). The latency of the IPSP ranged from 3.3 to 4.7 ms with an average of 3.87 +/- 0.56 ms (S.D.). The IPSP from SC stimulation was proposed to be mediated by the recurrent inhibitory circuit to LGN, since the recurrent inhibitory interneurones in the thalamic reticular nucleus (R) responded to the same stimulation with a latency of 2.14 +/- 0.43 ms, which was 1.73 ms shorter than the latency of the IPSP in LGN relay cells. This was in good agreement with our previous observation that the recurrent interneurones always fired about 1.8 ms prior to the onset of the recurrent IPSP in LGN (Lo and Xie 1987b). The recurrent inhibitory interneurones could also be excited by stimulation of the central lateral nucleus (CL) with a very short latency (0.57 +/- 0.15 ms), suggesting a monosynaptic connection between the central lateral nucleus and the reticular recurrent interneurones. This suggestion was supported by the fact that CL neurones, which projected to the striate cortex (Cx), were antidromically excited by stimulation of the caudal part of R where the recurrent inhibitory interneurones were situated. CL neurone's response to stimulation of the deep layers of SC (SC-CL response) has a latency of 1.68 +/- 0.56 ms, which was comparable with the difference between the latency of SC-R response and that of CL-R response, just as expected from the notion that the saccadic suppression is mediated by a circuit of SC (deep layers) -CL-R-LGN.