Relative contributions of intracortical and thalamo-cortical processes in the generation of alpha rhythms, revealed by partial coherence analysis.

The thalamo-cortical relationships of alpha rhythms have been analysed in dogs using partial coherence function analysis. The objective was to clarify how far the large intracortical coherence commonly recorded between different cortical sites could depend on a common thalamic site. It was found that the alpha rhythms of the LGN influenced only moderately the coherence between cortical alpha rhythms whereas that of the pulvinar had much more influence, at least in relation to some cortical areas. Significant phase shifts between thalamus and cortex were also measured. The results demonstrate that there are thalamo-cortical and cortico-cortical components which interact in the generation of cortical alpha rhythms.