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Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 12, 4088-4111, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Neuroscience
Calbindin and parvalbumin cells in monkey VPL thalamic nucleus: distribution, laminar cortical projections, and relations to spinothalamic terminations
E Rausell, CS Bae, A Vinuela, GW Huntley and EG Jones
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine 92717.
The ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL) of the monkey thalamus was
investigated by histochemical staining for cytochrome oxidase (CO) activity
and by immunocytochemical staining for the calcium-binding proteins
parvalbumin and 28 kDa calbindin. Anterograde and retrograde tracing
experiments were used to correlate patterns of differential distribution of
CO activity and of parvalbumin and calbindin cells with the terminations of
spinothalamic tract fibers and with the types of cells projecting
differentially to superficial and deeper layers of primary somatosensory
cortex (SI). VPL is composed of CO-rich and CO- weak compartments. Cells
are generally smaller in the CO-weak compartment.
Parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells and parvalbumin- immunoreactive medial
lemniscal fiber terminations are confined to the CO-rich compartment.
Calbindin-immunoreactive cells are found in both the CO-rich and CO-weak
compartments. The CO-weak compartment, containing only calbindin cells,
forms isolated zones throughout VPL and expands as a cap covering the
posterior surface of the ventral posterior medial nucleus (VPM).
Spinothalamic tract terminations tend to be concentrated in the CO-weak
compartment, especially in the posterior cap. Other CO-weak,
parvalbumin-negative, calbindin-positive nuclei, including the posterior,
ventral posterior inferior, and anterior pulvinar and the small-celled
matrix of VPM are also associated with concentrations of spinothalamic and
caudal trigeminothalamic terminations. Parvalbumin cells are consistently
larger than calbindin cells and are retrogradely labeled only after
injections of tracers in middle and deep layers of SI. The smaller
calbindin cells are the only cells retrogradely labeled after placement of
retrograde tracers that primarily involve layer I of SI. The compartmental
organization of VPL is similar to but less rigid than that previously
reported in VPM. VPL and VPM relay cells projecting to different layers of
SI cortex can be distinguished by differential immunoreactivity for the two
calcium-binding proteins. The small- celled, CO-weak, calbindin-positive
zones of VPL and VPM appear to form part of a wider system of smaller
thalamic neurons unconstrained by traditional nuclear boundaries that are
preferentially the targets of spinothalamic and caudal trigeminal inputs,
and that may have preferential access to layer I of SI.
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