Bilateral projections from rat MI whisker cortex to the neostriatum, thalamus, and claustrum: forebrain circuits for modulating whisking behavior.

ABSTRACT: In rats, whisking behavior is characterized by high-frequency synchronous movements and other stereotyped patterns of bilateral coordination that are rarely seen in the bilateral movements of the limbs. This suggests that the motor systems controlling whisker and limb movements must have qualitative or quantitative differences in their interhemispheric connections. To test this hypothesis, anterograde tracing methods were used to characterize the bilateral distribution of projections from the whisker and forepaw regions in the primary motor (MI) cortex. Unilateral tracer injections in the MI whisker or forepaw regions revealed robust projections to the corresponding MI cortical area in the contralateral hemisphere. Both MI regions project bilaterally to the neostriatum, but the corticostri

SUBMITTER: Alloway KD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2696578 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature