The claustrum of the sheep and its connections to the visual cortex

The present study analyses the organization and selected neurochemical features of the claustrum and visual cortex of the sheep, based on the patterns of calcium-binding proteins expression. Connections of the claustrum with the visual cortex have been studied by tractography. Parvalbumin-immunoreactive (PV-ir) and Calbindin-immunoreactive (CB-ir) cell bodies increased along the rostro-caudal axis of the nucleus. Calretinin (CR)-labeled somata were few and evenly distributed along the rostro-caudal axis. PV and CB distribution in the visual cortex was characterized by larger round and multipolar cells for PV, and more bitufted neurons for CB. The staining pattern for PV was the opposite of that of CR, which showed densely stained but rare cell bodies. Tractography shows the existence of connections with the caudal visual cortex. However, we detected no contralateral projection in the visuo-claustral interconnections. Since sheep and goats have laterally placed eyes and a limited binocular vision, the absence of contralateral projections could be of prime importance if confirmed by other studies, to rule out the role of the claustrum in stereopsis.     

Neocortical connections in fetal cats

The major extrinsic projections to and from visual and auditory areas of cerebral cortex were examined in fetal cats between 46 and 60 days of gestation (E46-E60) using axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase either alone or in combination with tritiated proline. Projections to visual cortex from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and lateral-posterior/pulvinar complex exist by E46, and those from the contralateral hemisphere, claustrum, putamen, and central lateral nucleus of the thalamus are present by E54-E56. In addition, cells in the medial geniculate nucleus project to auditory cortex by E55. At E54-E56 efferent cortical projections reach the contralateral hemisphere, claustrum, putamen, lateral-posterior/pulvinar complex and reticular nucleus of the thalamus. Cells in visual cortex also project to the dorsal and ventral lateral geniculate nuclei, pretectum, superior colliculus and pontine nuclei, and cells in auditory cortex project to the medial geniculate nucleus. Except for interhemispheric projections, all pathways demonstrated are ipsilateral, and projections linking cerebral cortex with claustrum, dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and lateral-posterior/pulvinar complex are reciprocal. The reciprocal projections formed with the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, lateral-posterior/pulvinar complex and the claustrum show a greater degree of topological organization compared to the projections formed with the contralateral hemisphere and superior colliculus, which show little or no topological order. Therefore, the results of the present study show that the major extrinsic projections of the cat's visual and auditory cortical areas with subcortical structures are present by the eighth week of gestation, and that the origins and terminations of many of these projections are arranged topologically.     

Projections from the claustrum to the prelunate gyrus in the monkey

 In order to determine whether the cells in the monkey claustrum which project to visual area V4 are found in the same territory as cells projecting to other visual areas, we made injections of the retrograde fluorescent tracer diamidino yellow into area V4 in two monkeys. Injections of a second tracer, fast blue, were also made in area PM, an area just medial to area V4 on the prelunate gyrus, in one animal. Area V4 injections labeled cells in ventral claustrum over about 5–6 mm of its anterior-posterior extent. The more medial prelunate injection labeled cells in adjacent dorsal and more lateral claustrum. These results, together with data from other studies, suggest that in the monkey, as in the cat, there is a ”visual” region of claustrum that is interconnected with multiple visual areas including V1, V2, V4, MT, FST, MST, TEO and TE. The data also suggest that dorsal and lateral to this region is another zone which is connected with different visual areas, including several in posterior parietal cortex. Received: 10 April 1996 / Accepted: 3 September 1996     

Zinc-rich afferents to the rat neocortex: projections to the visual cortex traced with intracerebral selenite injections

Infusion of sodium selenite to the occipital cortex of the rat was used for the specific tracing of zinc-rich pathways. Large numbers of labeled somata were found ipsilaterally in the visual, orbital and frontal cortices, and contralaterally in homotopic and heterotopic visual areas. Labeled neurons were also found ipsilaterally in the retrosplenial, parietal, sensory-motor, temporal and perirhinal cortex. In contrast to the cortico-cortical connections, ascending afferents to the visual cortex were not zinc-rich except for a few labeled neurons in the claustrum. Additional injections showed reciprocal zinc-rich connections between the visual cortex and the orbital and frontal cortices. The latter cortices also received ascending zinc-rich afferents from the claustrum. Selenite injections revealed the layered distribution and the morphology of these labeled neurons in the neocortex. Zinc-rich neurons were found in layers II–III, V and VI. However, none was found in layer IV. Zinc-rich somata appeared as pyramidal and inverted neurons. The contrasting chemical properties of cortical and subcortical visual afferents may account for the functional differences between these systems.     

Auditory response properties of neurons in the claustrum and putamen of the cat

Summary The auditory response properties of single neurons in claustrum and putamen were studied in response to simple dichotic stimuli (viz. noise- and tone-bursts) in chloralose-anaesthetized cats. Neurons in claustrum were commonly weakly driven with long latency, were broadly tuned and were excited by stimulation of either ear (EE). Putamen neurons, in contrast, were securely driven with short latency, showed irregular tuning with a preference for low frequencies and were either EE or excited only by the contralateral ear (EO). The differences between claustrum and putamen responses can be related to differences in connections with the auditory cortical fields and with auditory thalamus. Some neurons were also tested for visual responsiveness: auditory and visual cells were intermingled in both nuclei and only a small percentage of cells were bimodal. In contrast to the visual and somatosensory input to claustrum, which are derived from primary cortical fields, the auditory input to claustrum is apparently derived from non-primary cortical regions, suggesting a fundamentally different role for processing of auditory information in claustrum.     

Plasticity of claustroneocortical connections via the corpus callosum in the cat

The cat's distribution of claustral cells that project to the contralateral visual cortex via the corpus callosum was examined. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was applied to severed callosal axons to label a heterogeneous population of callosal connections. Cats reared with optically induced strabismus, and Siamese cats, had HRP-filled cells extending more ventrally in the claustrum than in controls. In these groups the compaction of labeled cells was higher than in controls and the amount of increased labeled area was not dependent on the resulting eye alignment. This indicates possible plasticity of visual claustrocallosal connectivity in cats.     

Claustral efferents to the cat's limbic cortex studied with retrograde and anterograde tracing techniques

The claustral projections to the cat's limbic cortex were investigated with horseradish peroxidase retrograde tracing technique and with autoradiography. Autoradiographic injections covered small portions of either the dorsal anterior claustrum or intermediate to posterior regions of the claustrum. Injections of horseradish peroxidase were made into the subicular, insular, entorhinal, prepiriform, cingulate, retrosplenial and prefrontal cortex. Both methods revealed fully consistent data for substantial claustral efferents to the cingulate, retrosplenial, entorhinal and subicular cortex. For the prepiriform cortex claustral efferents could be established unequivocally only with the horseradish peroxidase technique. Only a rather minor projection could be traced for the claustro-insular projection. Unilateral injections of horseradish peroxidase revealed the existence of a minor number of labeled claustral cells in the contralateral hemisphere for all loci except insular and prepiriform ones. Our data show that claustral cells reach the majority of the allocortical areas of the brain. They thereby confirm the view that the claustrum projects to most regions of the cortex and furthermore that a certain kind of topography exists in the claustro-cortical afferents with a minor number of claustral cells sending afferents to the contralateral cortical hemisphere. In addition, our data reveal that the distribution of claustro-cortical afferents is uneven and that the ventral claustrum (or nucleus endopiriformis) sends fibers to more cortical regions than previously assumed. It is suggested that the claustrum participates in the integration of sensory, motivational, emotional and mnemonic information via its reciprocal claustro-neocortical and its claustro-limbic connections.     

Reciprocal connections of the insular and piriform claustrum with limbic cortex: an anatomical study in the cat

The connections of the claustrum with non-isocortical limbic and paralimbic cortex in the cat are described, using the anterograde transport of tritiated amino acids and the retrograde transport of various fluorescent tracers and of horseradish peroxidase conjugated to the lectin wheatgerm agglutinin. It could be demonstrated that the claustrum, in addition to its connections with sensory-related areas, is reciprocally and bilaterally connected with widespread limbic and paralimbic cortical regions. These connections are organized such that the area of origin of claustral efferents to a certain cortical region coincides with the area of termination in the claustrum of afferents from that same cortical region. A rostrocaudal topographical organization of the limbic-related connections of the claustrum is not very apparent. However, the results clearly demonstrate a dorsoventral topographical organization in the connections between the claustrum and the cortex. The ventral part of the claustrum has reciprocal connections predominantly with the entorhinal cortex, and possibly with the anterior olfactory nucleus and the prepiriform cortex. A more dorsally located part of the claustrum is preferentially connected with the orbitofrontal, the insular, the perirhinal, the anterior limbic, and the cingular cortices, and with parts of the subicular complex. The most dorsal portion of the claustrum is more heavily connected with parasensory and sensory cortices. It is concluded that the traditional subdivision of the claustrum into two discrete nuclei, i.e. the insular claustrum connected with the isocortex, and the piriform claustrum or endopiriform nucleus connected with the allocortex, does not reflect the actual organization of the cortical connections of the claustrum. The present data provide a more differentiated view, such that the ventral portion of the claustrum is reciprocally connected mainly with the olfactory-related cortices and the entorhinal cortex, whereas the cortical connections of progressively more dorsal parts of the claustrum gradually shift from limbic and paralimbic towards parasensory and sensory cortical connections. The significance of these findings is discussed in the light of a possible function of the claustrum in relation to corticocortical integration and memory processing.     

Callosal projections between areas 17 in the adult tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri)

Summary In the primary visual cortex (area 17) of the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) neurons projecting to the contralateral area 17 via the corpus callosum were identified by horseradish peroxidase histochemistry (HRP, WGA-HRP). The distribution of homotopic and heterotopic connections was studied. We found that a narrow stripe of area 17 close to the dorsal area 17/18 border — which corresponds to the visual field along the vertical meridian — is connected via homotopic callosal projections. The adjacent dorsal part of area 17, which largely corresponds to the binocular visual field, is connected via homotopic as well as heterotopic projections. Heterotopic projections originate in the cortical stripe along the area 17/18 border and their contralateral targets are displaced medially. Callosal neurons are located mostly in supragranular but also occur in infragranular layers. The supragranular neurons in general are pyramidal cells. In addition to these findings, we confirmed earlier reports on ipsilateral projections of the primary visual area to the dLGN, the claustrum, area 18 and other visual areas.The authors wish to dedicate this paper to Prof. W. Lierse in honour of his 60th birthday     

Fluoro-Gold tracing of zinc-containing afferent connections in the mouse visual cortices

Summary To identify zinc-containing projections to the visual areas, we injected Fluoro-Gold into the occipital cortex of the mouse. Five days later, the mice underwent an intravital selenium-labeling procedure to demonstrate the somata of neurons that give rise to zinc-containing boutons. Numerous double-labeled cells were seen in the ipsi- and contralateral primary (layers II/III and VI), and secondary visual cortices (layers II/III and VI). A few double-labeled cells were apparent in other cortical areas concerned with visual processing: the orbital cortex (layers II and III), the posterior portion of the medial agranular frontal cortex (layer V/VI border), and the temporal cortex (layer VI). The cingulate, retrosplenial, perirhinal, and lateral entorhinal cortices had lamina projecting to the visual cortex and separate lamina harboring zinc-containing cells. A spatial segregation of fluorescent and zinc-containing neurons was also seen in the claustrum. This integration or segregation of projecting and zinc-containing neurons may reflect the function of the cortical areas. N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor function is antagonized by physiological concentrations of zinc in vitro. It is proposed that zinc-positive projections from areas that perform basic visual functions are less likely to be modified by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated processes than the zinc-negative connections from associational areas.     

Multiarchitectonic characterization of insular, perirhinal and related regions in a basal mammal, Echinops telfairi

The rhinal cortex was investigated in the Madagascan lesser hedgehog tenrec, a basal placental mammal. This region parallels the rhinal indentation and presumably contains the equivalents of the insular and perirhinal cortices. Using cyto- and myeloarchitectural, enzyme- and immunohistochemical criteria as well as data on the connections with the olfactory bulb, the rhinal cortex was subdivided tentatively along its rostrocaudal and dorsoventral planes. An area caudally adjacent to the rhinal cortex received a prominent input from the olfactory bulb and was also preliminarily characterized in this study. Because previous studies in insectivores remained controversial with regard to the identification of the claustrum, special attention was paid to the laminar organization of the rhinal cortex and its deep cell groups. The tenrec’s claustrum was identified and delineated cytoarchitecturally and by its negative acetylcholinesterase stain. Latexin, a molecular marker for characterizing infragranular and claustral cells, also helped to differentiate the claustrum from the cell groups subjacent to it. Thus, the data indicate that in poorly differentiated mammals the claustrum occupies an intermediate deep position within the width of the rhinal cortex, i.e., it is separated from the subcortical white matter by additional, still unidentified, cell groups. Accepted: 19 June 2000     

Differential topography of the bilateral cortical projections to the whisker and forepaw regions in rat motor cortex

Whisker and forelimb movements in rats have distinct behavioral functions that suggest differences in the neural connections of the brain regions that control their movements. To test this hypothesis, retrograde tracing methods were used to characterize the bilateral distribution of the cortical neurons that project to the whisker and forelimb regions in primary motor (MI) cortex. Tracer injections in each MI region revealed labeled neurons in more than a dozen cortical areas, but most labeling was concentrated in the sensorimotor areas. Cortical projections to the MI forepaw region originated primarily from the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex in the ipsilateral hemisphere. In contrast, most projections to the MI whisker region originated from the MI whisker region in the contralateral hemisphere. Tracer injections in the MI whisker region also revealed a higher proportion of labeled neurons in the claustrum and in the posterior parietal cortex. Injections of different tracers into the MI whisker and forepaw regions of some rats revealed a topographic organization of neuronal labeling in several sensorimotor regions. Collectively, these findings indicate that the MI whisker and forepaw regions receive different sets of cortical inputs. Whereas the MI whisker region is most strongly influenced by callosal projections, presumably to mediate bilateral coordination of the whiskers, the MI forepaw region is influenced mainly by ipsilateral SI inputs that convey somatosensory feedback.     

Reciprocal connections between the claustrum and the gyrus sigmoideus posterior in the cat. An experimental study using the antegrade degeneration methods and the HRP retrograde axonal transport

Following coagulation lesions affecting the gyrus sigmoideus posterior we investigated the termination field of the cortico-claustral projection using impregnation techniques (NAUTA, GYGAX 1954; FINK, HEIMER 1967). Preterminal and terminal fragments of the degenerating axons were identified ipsilaterally on the dorsal and lateral margins of the claustrum dorsale in the rostral half of the nucleus. Labeled neurons were found ipsilaterally within the claustrum dorsale, in the termination field of the cortico-claustral projection rising from the gyrus sigmoideus posterior following injections of HRP (Sigma VI) into the gyrus sigmoideus posterior. There are reciprocal connections between the dorsolateral region of the claustrum dorsale and the cortex of the gyrus sigmoideus posterior. A prevailing number of the HRP-positive neurons of the claustrum are located in the termination field of the particular cortico-claustral projection. The discussion deals with some problems concerning the cortico-claustral and claustro-cortical projections and presents opinions as to the functional significance of the claustrum.     

Aberrant visual projections in the Siamese cat

1. Guillery has recently shown that the Siamese cat has a grossly abnormal lateral geniculate body. His anatomical study suggested that certain fibres originating in the temporal retina of each eye cross in the chiasm instead of remaining uncrossed. They thus reach the wrong hemispheres, but in the geniculate they terminate in the regions that the missing fibres from the ipsilateral eye would normally have occupied. The result is that each hemisphere receives an input from parts of the ipsilateral field of vision, this input being entirely from the opposite eye. The purpose of the present work was to study the physiological consequences of this aberrant projection, in the lateral geniculate body and visual cortex.2. Single-cell recordings from the lateral geniculate body confirmed the presence of projections from the ipsilateral visual field of the contralateral eye. The part of layer A(1) receiving these projections was arranged so that the receptive fields of the cells were situated at about the same horizontal level and at the same distance from the vertical meridian as the fields of cells in the layers above and below (layers A and B), but were in the ipsilateral visual field instead of the contralateral. They thus occupied a region directly across the mid line from their normal position.3. In the cortex of all animals studied, we found a systematic representation of part of the ipsilateral visual field, inserted between the usual contralateral representations in areas 17 and 18. When the visual cortex was crossed from medial to lateral the corresponding region of visual field moved from the contralateral periphery to the mid line, and then into the ipsilateral field for 20 degrees . The movement then reversed, with a return to the mid line and a steady progression out into the contralateral field. The entire double representation was, with some possible exceptions, a continuous one. The point of reversal occurred at or near the 17-18 boundary, as judged histologically, and this boundary was in about the same position as in ordinary cats.4. Cells in the part of the cortex representing the ipsilateral fields had normal receptive fields, simple, complex, or hypercomplex. These fields tended to be larger than those in corresponding parts of the contralateral visual fields. Receptive-field size varied with distance from the area centralis, just as it does in the normal cat, so that cells with the smallest fields, in the area centralis projection, were situated some distance from the 17-18 border.5. Projections originating from the first 20 degrees from the midvertical in both visual half-fields had their origin entirely in the contralateral eye, as would be expected from the abnormal crossing at the chiasm. Beyond this visual-field region, and out as far as the temporal crescents, there were projections from both eyes, but we found no individual cells with input from the two eyes. The cells were aggregated, with some groups of cells driven by one eye and some by the other.6. From previous work it is known that ordinary cats raised with squint show a decline in the proportion of cells that can be driven binocularly, whereas animals raised with both eyes closed show little or no decline. A Siamese cat raised with both eyes closed had binocular cells in the regions of 17 and 18 subserving the peripheral visual fields, suggesting that the absence of binocular cells seen in the other Siamese cats was indeed secondary to the squint.7. In two Siamese cats there were suggestions of an entirely different projection pattern, superimposed upon that described above. In the parts of 17 and 18 otherwise entirely devoted to the contralateral visual field, we observed groups of cells with receptive fields in the ipsilateral field of vision. The electrode would pass from a region where cells were driven from some part of the contralateral visual field, to regions in which they were driven from a part of the ipsilateral field directly opposite, across the vertical mid line. The borders of these groups were not necessarily sharp, for in places there was mixing of the two groups of cells, and a few cells had input from two discrete regions located opposite one another on either side of the vertical mid line. The two receptive-field components of such cells were identical, in terms of orientation, optimum direction of movement, and complexity. Stimulation of the two regions gave a better response than was produced from either one alone, and the relative effectiveness of the two varied from cell to cell. These cells thus behaved in a way strikingly reminiscent of binocular cells in common cats.8. The apparent existence of two competing mechanisms for determining the projection of visual afferents to the cortex suggests that a number of factors may cooperate in guiding development. There seems, furthermore, not to be a detailed cell-to-cell specificity of geniculocortical connexions, but rather a tendency to topographic order and continuity, with one part of a given area such as 17 able to substitute for another. Whether or not these tentative interpretations are ultimately proved correct, it seems clear that this type of genetic anomaly has potential usefulness for understanding mechanisms of development of the nervous system.     

Interconnections of the auditory cortical fields of the cat with the cingulate and parahippocampal cortices

Summary The interconnections of the auditory cortex with the parahippocampal and cingulate cortices were studied in the cat. Injections of the anterograde and retrograde tracer WGA-HRP were performed, in different cats (n = 9), in electrophysiologically identified auditory cortical fields. Injections in the posterior zone of the auditory cortex (PAF or at the PAF/AI border) labeled neurons and axonal terminal fields in the cingulate gyrus, mainly in the ventral bank of the splenial sulcus (a region that can be considered as an extension of the cytoarchitectonic area Cg), and posteriorly in the retrosplenial area. Labeling was also present in area 35 of the perirhinal cortex, but it was sparser than in the cingulate gyrus. Following WGA-HRP injection in All, no labeling was found in the cingulate gyrus, but a few neurons and terminals were labeled in area 35. In contrast, no or very sparse labeling was observed in the cingulate and perirhinal cortices after WGA-HRP injections in the anterior zone of the auditory cortex (AI or AAF). A WGA-HRP injection in the cingulate gyrus labeled neurons in the posterior zone of the auditory cortex, between the posterior ectosylvian and the posterior suprasylvian sulci, but none was found more anteriorly in regions corresponding to AI, AAF and AII. The present data indicate the existence of preferential interconnections between the posterior auditory cortex and the limbic system (cingulate and parahippocampal cortices). This specialization of posterior auditory cortical areas can be related to previous observations indicating that the anterior and posterior regions of the auditory cortex differ from each other by their response properties to sounds and their pattern of connectivity with the auditory thalamus and the claustrum.Abbreviations AAF anterior auditory cortical field - aes anterior ectosylvian sulcus - AI primary auditory cortical field - AII secondary auditory cortical field - ALLS anterior-lateral lateral suprasylvian visual area - BF best frequency - C cerebral cortex - CC corpus callosum - CIN cingulate cortex - CL claustrum - DLS dorsal lateral suprasylvian visual area - DP dorsoposterior auditory area - E entorhinal cortex - IC inferior colliculus - LGN lateral geniculate nucleus - LV pars lateralis of the ventral division of the MGB - LVe lateral ventricule - MGB medial geniculate body - OT optic tract - OV pars ovoidea of the ventral division of the MGB - PAF posterior auditory cortical field - pes posterior ectosylvian sulcus - PLLS posterior-lateral lateral suprasylvian visual area - PS posterior suprasylvian visual area - PU putamen - RE reticular complex of thalamus - rs rhinal sulcus - SC superior colliculus - SS suprasylvian sulcus - T temporal auditory cortical field - TMB tetramethylbenzidine - VBX ventrobasal complex of thalamus, external nucleus - VL pars ventrolateralis of the ventral division of the MGB - VLS ventrolateral suprasylvian visual area - VPAF ventroposterior auditory cortical field - WGA-HRP wheat germ agglutinin labeled with horseradish peroxidase - wm white matter     

A direct pathway from thalamus to visual callosal neurons in cat

Summary Horseradish peroxidase was injected in the right visual cortex and a large electrolytic lesion made in the left lateral geniculate nucleus of an adult cat. Neurons of origin of the callosal projection to the injected cortex were identified by retrograde labelling and selected for electron microscopic study. Degenerating thalamo-cortical axon terminals were found to contact a labelled stellate cell in layer IV and a labelled pyramidal cell in layer III at the border region of areas 17 and 18. We conclude that there is a monosynaptic pathway from lateral geniculate nucleus to the cells of origin of callosal axons to the contralateral visual cortex.Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (3.0950.77)     

The central release of acetylcholine during consciousness and after brain lesions

1. Acetylcholine (ACh) has been collected from the visual cortex of anaesthetized rabbits during stimulation of the lateral geniculate body and after cutting central nervous pathways. ACh has also been collected from the visual cortex of conscious, free-moving rabbits.2. After a unilateral ;vertical' lesion separating the geniculate body from more centrally situated nuclei, ACh release evoked from the contralateral cortex by geniculate body stimulation was abolished but evoked release from the ipsilateral cortex was only reduced.3. After a bilateral, ;horizontal' lesion separating the thalamic nuclei from the reticular formation, unilateral geniculate stimulation gave an increased ACh release from the ipsilateral but not from the contralateral visual cortex.4. The ;vertical' and ;horizontal' lesions had no permanent effect on the spontaneous release of ACh from the visual cortex.5. Unilateral destruction of the geniculate body reduced the spontaneous release of ACh from the ipsilateral cortex but did not affect the contralateral release.6. The spontaneous and directly evoked ACh release from chronically undercut areas of cortex was found to be considerably lower than from intact areas of cortex.7. A high output of ACh was obtained from the visual cortex of conscious, free-moving rabbits. The rate of ACh release was closely related to the activity and state of arousal of the animals.8. These results support an earlier suggestion that two major ascending cholinergic systems exist in the rabbit brain. One pathway is the non-specific reticulo-cortical tract responsible for cortical arousal and the other is the more specific thalamo-cortical pathway associated with augmenting and repetitive after-discharge responses. The functional significance of these two cholinergic pathways and their role in the conscious animal are discussed.     

Bilateral parietal and contralateral responses during maintenance of unilaterally encoded objects in visual short-term memory: Evidence from magnetoencephalography

A component of the event-related magnetic field (ERMF) response was observed in magnetoencephalographic signals recorded during the maintenance of information in visual short-term memory (VSTM). This sustained posterior contralateral magnetic (SPCM) field is likely the magnetic equivalent of the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN) found in electrophysiology. Magnetoencephalography data showed, at the sensor level, a bilateral activation over the parietal cortex that increased in amplitude for higher memory load. Others sensors, also over the parietal cortex, showed an activation pattern similar to the SPCN with higher activation for the hemisphere contralateral to the visual field from which visual information was encoded. These two activation patterns suggest that the SPCN and SPCM are generated by a network of cortical sources that includes bilateral parietal loci, likely intra-parietal/intra-occipital cortex, and contralateral parietal sources.     

Corticocortical connections to the motor cortex from the posterior parietal lobe (areas 5a, 5b, 7) in the cat demonstrated by the retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase

Summary Neurons in the parietal region of the cerebral cortex, projecting to the ipsilateral distal forelimb area of the motor cortex (area 4) were identified in the cat brain using the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) retrograde tracing method. After making microinjections of HRP into the distal forelimb area of the motor cortex, clusters of HRP-labeled cell bodies were observed in different regions of the ipsilateral parietal cortex. In particular these clusters of labeled cells were found in areas 5a, 5b and 7. The area 5a cluster is formed from closely packed irregularly-shaped cells, the area 5b cluster is made up of dispersed medium-sized pyramidal cells, while area 7 contains a cluster of widely dispersed small pyramidal cells. Typically, labeled cell bodies were found in lamina III of cortex. Labeled cell bodies were neither observed in the contralateral cortex nor in the visual cortex (areas 17, 18 and 19). Since parietal cortex receives projections from primary somatosensory and visual cortex, the projections from parietal to motor cortex may well form the neural substrate for the processing of convergent sensory information used in voluntary movements.     

Efferent connections of the claustrum to the posterior thalamic and pretectal region in the rat

Injection of the fluorescent retrograde tracers Fast Blue and Diamidino Yellow in the posterior thalamic and anterior pretectal region of rats resulted in significant retrograde neuronal labeling of the ipsilateral claustrum. The labeled cell bodies were especially abundant in the central third of the claustrum, while the rostral and caudal portions of the nucleus contained only few fluorescing cells. Thus, in addition to the major reciprocal connections of the claustrum with the cerebral cortex, a substantial number of claustral neurons project to the posterior thalamic and anterior pretectal region. Unlike the cortico-claustrocortical loop, this connection appears to be only ipsilateral.