The thalamic reticular nucleus (RTN) exerts an inhibitory influence upon the dorsal thalamus. During wakefulness and arousal, RTN neurons fire tonically, whereas during slow-wave sleep they fire rhythmic high frequency bursts. The effects produced by RTN inhibition upon the activity of dorsal thalamic neurons will therefore vary in relation to the firing mode of the RTN neurons. In the present study, we compared the effects of oscillating RTN neurons and of RTN neurons tonically activated with glutamate on the response profiles of single units reacting to controlled cutaneous stimulation in cat ventroposterior lateral thalamic nucleus (VPL). Experiments were performed under light barbiturate anesthesia and prior to the glutamate activation of the RTN, both RTN and VPL neurons showed spontaneous bursting patterns of activity consistent with the oscillatory mode. Typically, a cutaneous stimulus evoked a short latency excitatory response in VPL followed by a period of complete inhibition termed post-stimulus inhibition (PSI). In many neurons, the PSI was followed by a period of increased activity termed post-inhibitory excitation (PIE). Ejection of glutamate in the identified somatosensory division of the RTN shifted the oscillatory firing of its neurons to a high tonic mode and usually resulted in a decrease in VPL neuronal activity. Significant variations were observed in the occurrence and the magnitude of the effects among the different components of neuronal activity examined. Tonic activation of the RTN resulted in a significant reduction of ON- and OFF-PIEs in 81% of cases (30/37) and of spontaneous activity in 67% (22/33). In contrast, the response to a cutaneous stimulus was decreased in only 29% of cases (17/59) and was significantly increased in 24% (14/59). Tonic activation of the RTN by glutamate resulted in little change in the firing pattern of VPL neurons, and both short and long spike intervals were affected in a similar proportion. We conclude that the components of VPL neuronal activity most affected by switching RTN neurons from the oscillatory to the tonic mode are those normally dependent upon RTN neuronal oscillation. The present results also suggest that lowering background activity, such as occurs during the transition from sleep to wakefulness, is a factor leading to increase in the responsiveness of dorsal thalamic neurons.