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The Journal of Neuroscience, February 28, 2007, 27(9):2230-2240; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4004-06.2007

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Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Two Streams of Attention-Dependent ß Activity in the Striate Recipient Zone of Cat's Lateral Posterior–Pulvinar Complex

Andrzej Wróbel,^1,2 Anaida Ghazaryan,¹ Marek Bekisz,¹ Wojciech Bogdan,¹ and Jan Kamiski^1,2

¹Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland, and ²Department of Psychology, Warsaw School of Social Psychology, 03-815 Warsaw, Poland

Correspondence should be addressed to Andrzej Wróbel, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland. Email: wrobel{at}nencki.gov.pl

Local field potentials from different visual cortical areas and subdivisions of the cat's lateral posterior–pulvinar complex of the thalamus (LP-P) were recorded during a behavioral task based on delayed spatial discrimination of visual or auditory stimuli. During visual but not auditory attentive tasks, we observed an increase of ß activity (12–25 Hz) as calculated from signals recorded from the caudal part of the lateral zone of the LP-P (LPl-c) as well as from cortical areas 17 and 18 and the complex located at the middle suprasylvian sulcus (MSS). This ß activity appeared only in the trials that ended with a successful response, proving its relationship to the mechanism of visual attention. In contrast, no enhanced ß activity was observed in the rostral part of the lateral zone of the LP-P and in the pulvinar proper. Two subregions of LPl-c (ventromedial and dorsolateral) were distinguished by visually related, attentional ß activity of low (12–18 Hz) and high (18–25 Hz) frequencies, respectively. At the same time, area 17 exhibited attentional activation in the whole ß range, and an increase of power in low-frequency ß was observed in the medial bank of MSS, whereas cortical area 18 and the lateral bank of the MSS were activated in the high ß range. Phase-correlation analysis revealed that two distinct corticothalamic systems were synchronized by the ß activity of different frequencies. One comprised of cortical area 17, ventromedial region of LPl-c, and medial MSS, the second involved area 18 and the dorsolateral LPl-c. Our observations suggest that LPl-c belongs to the wide corticothalamic attentional system, which is functionally segregated by distinct streams of ß activity.

Key words: visual attention; corticothalamic system; ß oscillations; phase synchronization; cat

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Received Sept. 14, 2006; revised Jan. 22, 2007; accepted Jan. 22, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to Andrzej Wróbel, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland. Email: wrobel{at}nencki.gov.pl

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