The objective of the proposed research is to examine the relationship between thalamic and cortical inputs to the striatum from areas which receive basal ganglia output. The striatum functions as the main input nucleus of the basal ganglia and receives inputs primarily from the cerebral cortex, the thalamus and the midbrain. The thalamus provides the second largest source of input to the striatum. In the primate, the striatum receives massive inputs primarily from the """"""""non-specific"""""""" thalamic nuclei, including the midline and intralaminar nuclei. Some studies have also suggested that the """"""""specific"""""""" thalamic nuclei, including the ventral anterior and ventral lateral nuclei, have significant projections to the striatum in the monkey. The ventral anterior and ventral lateral nuclei receive the bulk of basal ganglia output from the basal ganglia and are primarily thought to relay this information to the cortex. The existence of thalamostriatal projections from the ventral anterior and ventral lateral nuclei suggests that the basal ganglia receives a direct feedback from the thalamus. As loss of function in basal ganglia circuits is associated with several neurologic disorders including Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, how the thalamic input affects striatal output neurons and its relation to both the excitatory input from the cortex and the dopaminergic input from the midbrain may be crucial to understanding the pathophysiology of some of these disorders. The proposed experiments explore the organization of the thalamostriatal projections from the ventral nuclei and their relation to corticostriatal inputs from areas which also receive basal ganglia output.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
5F31MH011661-02
Application #
2546332
Study Section
Cognitive Functional Neuroscience Review Committee (CFN)
Project Start
1997-09-08
Project End
Budget Start
1997-09-08
Budget End
1998-09-07
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1997
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Rochester
Department
Neurosciences
Type
Schools of Dentistry
DUNS #
208469486
City
Rochester
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14627