Laminar and synaptic organization of the projection from the thalamic nucleus centralis to primary visual cortex in the cat.

The projection from the nucleus centralis (an intralaminar thalamic nucleus) to the primary visual cortex was examined with anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques. After large injections of horseradish peroxidase into areas 17 and 18 almost one-half of the neurons in the nucleus centralis were retrogradely labeled. An injection of 3H-proline into the nucleus centralis led to sparse anterograde labeling in layers 5 and 6 of areas 17 and 18. Large injections of peroxidase-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) into the nucleus centralis led to similar anterograde labeling of layers 5 and 6 and, in addition, to a band in layer 1. No retrogradely labeled cells were seen in areas 17 or 18. The WGA-labeled terminals in area 17 were examined in the electron microscope: they formed type 1 (asymmetric) synapses on dendritic spines. These observations suggest that the afferents from the nucleus centralis primarily contact pyramidal cells that project to subcortical targets. The findings are consistent with physiological studies suggesting that the nucleus centralis is involved in the modulation of cortical outflow with varying levels of arousal.