Proximal perimeter encoding in the rat rostral thalamus

Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 27;9(1):2865. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39396-8.

Abstract

Perimeters are an important part of the environment, delimiting its geometry. Here, we investigated how perimeters (vertical walls; vertical drops) affect neuronal responses in the rostral thalamus (the anteromedial and parataenial nuclei in particular). We found neurons whose firing patterns reflected the presence of walls and drops, irrespective of arena shape. Their firing patterns were stable across multiple sleep-wake cycles and were independent of ambient lighting conditions. Thus, rostral thalamic nuclei may participate in spatial representation by encoding the perimeters of environments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anterior Thalamic Nuclei* / cytology
  • Anterior Thalamic Nuclei* / physiology
  • Male
  • Midline Thalamic Nuclei* / cytology
  • Midline Thalamic Nuclei* / physiology
  • Neurons* / cytology
  • Neurons* / physiology
  • Rats
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology*