Spatial scale of receptive fields in the visual sector of the cat thalamic reticular nucleus.

ABSTRACT: Inhibitory projections from the visual sector of the thalamic reticular nucleus to the lateral geniculate nucleus complete the earliest feedback loop in the mammalian visual pathway and regulate the flow of information from retina to cortex. There are two competing hypotheses about the function of the thalamic reticular nucleus. One regards the structure as a thermostat that uniformly regulates thalamic activity through negative feedback. Alternatively, the searchlight hypothesis argues for a role in focal attentional modulation through positive feedback, consistent with observations that behavioral state influences reticular activity. Here, we address the question of whether cells in the reticular nucleus have receptive fields small enough to provide localized feedback by devising methods

SUBMITTER: Soto-Sanchez C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5630618 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature