Anner-Baratti R, Allum J H, Hepp-Reymond M C
Exp Brain Res. 1986;63(3):567-80. doi: 10.1007/BF00237479.
The relationship between single cell activity in the "motor" thalamus and the generation of isometric force between the fingers has been investigated in 2 monkeys. Neurons related to the task were found in the thalamic motor regions VLo, VPLo, and VA where microstimulation occasionally elicited motor reactions in hand and fingers. 58% of these 55 neurons, designated "typical", showed modulation of their discharge patterns with force similar to neurons in precentral cortex and could be assigned to one of 5 discharge patterns described for the motor cortex. Only a small percentage of the thalamic neurons were found to have phasic activity. The other "atypical" neurons (42%) had discharge patterns with complex sequences of phasic and tonic activation with respect to force. For 18 typical and atypical neurons with tonic and phasic-tonic modulation of their firing rate with force significant regression coefficients between firing rate and static force were observed. The mean index of force sensitivity (rate-force slope) was 54.5 Hz/N for the neurons increasing their discharge rate with force, i.e. approximately that of precentral cells. Neurons tested for their sensory properties had receptive fields located on hand and/or fingers and were activated mainly by stimulation of muscle and joint receptors. The characteristics of these thalamic neurons are compared to those of precentral cells recorded under identical experimental conditions and are discussed in relation to the known input-output relationships of the motor thalamic nuclei. The data strongly support the hypothesis that parameters of movement, in particular force are represented by the activity of neurons in the "motor" thalamus.
在2只猴子身上研究了“运动”丘脑的单细胞活动与手指间等长力产生之间的关系。在丘脑运动区VLo、VPLo和VA中发现了与该任务相关的神经元，在这些区域进行微刺激时偶尔会引起手部和手指的运动反应。在这55个神经元中，58%被指定为“典型”神经元，其放电模式随力量的变化而调节，类似于中央前回皮质中的神经元，并且可以被归类为运动皮质所描述的5种放电模式之一。仅发现一小部分丘脑神经元具有相位活动。其他“非典型”神经元（42%）的放电模式在力量方面具有相位和紧张性激活的复杂序列。对于18个在放电频率上具有紧张性和相位 - 紧张性调制的典型和非典型神经元，观察到放电频率与静态力量之间存在显著的回归系数。对于随着力量增加放电频率的神经元，力量敏感性平均指数（频率 - 力量斜率）为54.5 Hz/N，即大约与中央前回细胞的指数相同。对其感觉特性进行测试的神经元，其感受野位于手部和/或手指上，并且主要通过肌肉和关节感受器的刺激而被激活。将这些丘脑神经元的特征与在相同实验条件下记录的中央前回细胞的特征进行了比较，并结合运动丘脑核已知的输入 - 输出关系进行了讨论。这些数据有力地支持了这样一种假设，即运动参数，特别是力量，由“运动”丘脑中神经元的活动所代表。
