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The Journal of Neuroscience, October 5, 2005, 25(40):9195-9204; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2672-05.2005

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Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Juxtacellular Recording/Labeling Analysis of Physiological and Anatomical Characteristics of Rat Intergeniculate Leaflet Neurons

Stephen Thankachan¹ and Benjamin Rusak^1,2,3

Departments of ¹Psychology, ²Psychiatry, and ³Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4J1

The thalamic intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) is involved in mediating effects of both photic and nonphotic stimuli on mammalian circadian rhythms. IGL neurons containing neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been implicated in mediating nonphotic effects, but little is known about those involved in photic entrainment. We used juxtacellular recording/labeling in rats to characterize both photic responses and neurochemical phenotypes of neurons in the lateral geniculate area, focusing on the IGL and ventral lateral geniculate (VLG). Single neurons were recorded to characterize photic responsiveness and were labeled with Neurobiotin (Nb); tissue was stained for Nb, NPY, and in some cases for orexin A. Three classes of neurons were identified in the IGL/VLG. Type I neurons lacked NPY and showed sustained activations during retinal illumination and moderate firing rates in darkness. Type II neurons contained large amounts of NPY throughout the soma and showed varied responses to illumination: suppression, complex responses, or no response. Type III neurons had patches of NPY both on the external soma surface and within the soma, apparently representing internalization of NPY. Type III neurons resembled type I cells in their sustained activation by illumination but were virtually silent during the intervening dark period. These neurons appear to receive NPY input, presumably from other IGL cells, which may suppress their activity during darkness. These results demonstrate the presence of several classes of neurons in the IGL defined by their functional and anatomical features and reinforce the role of the IGL/VLG complex in integrating photic and nonphotic inputs to the circadian system.

Key words: entrainment; circadian; light; intergeniculate leaflet; juxtacellular labeling; neuropeptide Y

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Received June 29, 2005; revised August 5, 2005; accepted August 23, 2005.

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