Search results for "Cerebral cortex"
showing 10 items of 529 documents
The subplate and early cortical circuits.
2010
The developing mammalian cerebral cortex contains a distinct class of cells, subplate neurons (SPns), that play an important role during early development. SPns are the first neurons to be generated in the cerebral cortex, they reside in the cortical white matter, and they are the first to mature physiologically. SPns receive thalamic and neuromodulatory inputs and project into the developing cortical plate, mostly to layer 4. Thus SPns form one of the first functional cortical circuits and are required to relay early oscillatory activity into the developing cortical plate. Pathophysiological impairment or removal of SPns profoundly affects functional cortical development. SPn removal in v…
The role of the claustrum in the bilateral control of frontal oculomotor neurons in the cat.
1991
The effect of claustrum (CL) stimulation on the spontaneous unitary activity of ipsi and contralateral frontal oculomotor neurons, was studied in chloralose-anaesthetized cats. A total of 205 units was bilaterally recorded in the medial oculomotor area, homologous of the primate "frontal eye fields"; 127 neurons were identified as projecting to the superior colliculus; for 33 of these last units stimulation of the ipsilateral CL provoked an excitatory effect lasting 10-25 ms and appearing with a latency of 5-15 ms; on 8 units the excitatory effect was followed by an inhibition lasting 100-250 ms. Ninety-eight of the 127 neurons were also tested through activation of the contralateral CL: 13…
Laminar distribution and morphology of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-immunoreactive neurons in the medial and dorsomedial areas of the cerebral cort…
1988
The morphology and laminar distribution of immunolabeled neurons in the medial and dorsomedial telencephalic cortices of the lizard Podarcis hispanica were examined in vibratome sections after preembedding γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-immunocytochemistry. In both cortical areas and at all rostrocaudal levels, GABA-immunoreactive neurons were found in all cortical layers, with the largest number (74%) of GABA-positive cells in layer 3. GABA-positive neurons were classified into pyramidlike, vertical-fusiform, multipolar, and horizontal neurons. Cells that could be so classified were counted in each cortical lamina. In the medial cortex, multipolar and horizontal-bipolar cells dominated layer 1…
System-theoretical analysis of the Clare Bishop Area in the cat
1980
The Clare Bishop Area (CBA) is a retinotopically organized cortical area in the cat brain connected to a great variety of visual areas in a very complex wax (Fig. 1). Experimental analysis is difficult because of the following aspects: 1. As the distance from the retina increases, the signal combinations necessary to analyse the system become more and more specific. 2. Feedback loops cannot be opened, so an unequivocal identification of CBA cell properties is impossible. 3. The nonlinear character seems to have a great influence on signal processing. To circumvent these problems, specific signal combinations leading to a separation of input subsystems have been developed (Hoffmann and v. Se…
The course of corticofacial projections in the human brainstem.
2001
Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to investigate the corticofacial projections in 53 patients with (n = 28) and without (n = 25) central facial paresis due to unifocal ischaemic lesions at different brainstem levels. Lesion topography documented by MRI studies was correlated with the electrophysiological findings. In the majority of patients the corticofacial fibres travel within the ventromedial base of the pons and cross the midline at the level of the facial nucleus. In some individuals, however, we found evidence that corticolingual fibres form an 'aberrant bundle' in a paralemniscal position at the dorsal edge of the pontine base. In other patients the corticofacial fibres loo…
Genes, dopamine and cortical signal-to-noise ratio in schizophrenia.
2004
A large body of phenomenological evidence implicates abnormal connectivity of brain macrocircuitry and microcircuitry in schizophrenia. Recent discoveries of susceptibility genes for schizophrenia have zeroed in on the synaptic signaling machinery of cortical microcircuits as fundamental to disease causation and have militated for further revision of the role of dopamine in this illness. Dopamine, long implicated in psychosis and in antipsychotic drug effects, is crucial in optimizing signal-to-noise ratio of local cortical microcircuits. This action of dopamine is achieved principally by D1- and D2-receptor-mediated effects on pyramidal and local circuit neurons, which mediate neuronal exc…
On localization of moving objects in the visual system of cats.
1980
In cortical areas direction-specific receptive fields occur systematically. Direction specifity is based on unsymmetric coupling of neurons. Such a coupling allows an exact localization of moved stimuli. For this task, the asymmetry in the time domain is compensated for by a spatial asymmetry.
Making Waves: Initiation and Propagation of Corticothalamic Ca2+ Waves In Vivo
2013
Corticothalamic slow oscillations of neuronal activity determine internal brain states. At least in the cortex, the electrical activity is associated with large neuronal Ca(2+) transients. Here we implemented an optogenetic approach to explore causal features of the generation of slow oscillation-associated Ca(2+) waves in the in vivo mouse brain. We demonstrate that brief optogenetic stimulation (3-20 ms) of a local group of layer 5 cortical neurons is sufficient for the induction of global brain Ca(2+) waves. These Ca(2+) waves are evoked in an all-or-none manner, exhibit refractoriness during repetitive stimulation, and propagate over long distances. By local optogenetic stimulation, we …
The cortical representation of pain.
1999
Anatomical and physiological studies in animals, as well as functional imaging studies in humans have shown that multiple cortical areas are activated by painful stimuli. The view that pain is perceived only as a result of thalamic processing has, therefore, been abandoned, and has been replaced by the question of what functions can be assigned to individual cortical areas. The following cortical areas have been shown to be involved in the processing of painful stimuli: primary somatosensory cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex and its vicinity in the parietal operculum, insula, anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex. These areas probably process different aspects of pain in para…
Microsurgical Anatomy of the Insular Region and Operculoinsular Association Fibers and its Neurosurgical Application
2019
Objective To analyze the three-dimensional relationships of the operculoinsular compartments, using standard hemispheric and white matter fiber dissection and review the anatomy of association fibers related to the operculoinsular compartments of the Sylvian fissure and the main white matter tracts located deep into the insula. The secondary aim of this study was to improve the knowledge on this complex region to safely address tumor, vascular, and epilepsy lesions with an integrated perspective of the topographic and white matter fiber anatomy using 2D and 3D photographs. Methods Six cadaveric hemispheres were dissected. Two were fixed with formalin and the arteries were injected with red …