Different types of temporal correlations obtained in pairs of thalamic visual neurons suggest different functional patterns of connectivity

Abstract

The traditional view of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus is that of a mere relay nucleus, faithfully transmitting retinal visual information to the visual cortex. More recent studies have pointed to a more complex role in the processing of this information, with inputs from cortex and sub-cortical structures modulating the form and strength of the relayed visual information. Nevertheless, the vast majority of studies assume that this processing within the geniculate is compartmentalised such that there is no cross-talk between geniculate relay cells, each essentially carrying out a completely separate analysis of its extrageniculate input Here we provide preliminary data suggesting a much greater level of communication between geniculate relay cells, with information shared over a modest local area, but between radically different cell types. We suggest that models of visual processing should include intrageniculate circuitry allowing passage of information between different streams (originally first thought to occur at the level of the cortex) to be a component of thalamic analysis of visual information.