Geniculate axons are initially guided to discrete epithelial placodes in the lingual and palatal epithelium that subsequently differentiate into taste buds. In vivo approaches show that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA is concentrated in these placodes, that BDNF is necessary for targeting taste afferents to these placodes, and that BDNF misexpression disrupts guidance. We used an ...

Inhibitory interneurons (INs) critically control the excitability and plasticity of neuronal networks, but whether activity can direct INs into specific circuits during development is unknown. Here, we report that in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), which relays retinal input to the cortex, circuit activity is required for the migration, molecular differentiation, and functional in...

Three patients were found to have visual field defects which involved homonymous horizontal sectors of the visual fields, thus mimicking field defects associated with lesions of the lateral geniculate nucleus. Computed tomography provided anatomical evidence that the responsible lesion involved the optic radiations rather than the lateral geniculate nucleus.

It has often been asked whether the lateral geniculate body contributes to the integration of incoming visual impulses or is a mere 'way-station' in the pathway from retina to cortex. While perhaps less complex than the retina or cortex, the geniculate is histologically far from the simple structure that the term 'way-station' would imply (O'Leary, 1940; Glees, 1941). The presence of extensive ...

Transmission through the lateral geniculate nucleus is facilitated following activation of the cholinergic input from the brain stem, which is thought to reflect activity patterns seen during arousal. One of the underlying mechanisms is the suppression of inhibitory circuits local to the lateral geniculate nucleus. However, evidence exists that some visually driven inhibitory inputs to genicula...

Guillery ~ used the Golgi method to study 4 classes of cells in the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus. His 3 largest classes (classes 1, 2, and 4) of cells were identified as relay ceils projecting to visual cortex, and cells in his smallest class (class 3) were identified as interneurons. Since Golgi methods selectively and somewhat capriciously stain less than 2 ~ of the available neurons 21, ...

In the past the lateral geniculate body has tended to receive less than its due share of attention in the investigation of the neural basis of vision. Yet a detailed study of the intermediate cell station in the lateral geniculate body is clearly an essential part of such an investigation. The anatomical situation of the nucleus renders it difficult of direct experimental approach, and our pres...

Prenatal exposure to marijuana has been associated with a variety of brain deficits, as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), its main active ingredient crosses the placenta and affects foetal brain development. Despite this effect, marijuana remains a commonly abused substance among pregnant women. In the current study, we examined the histological and biochemical changes in the superior colliculus (...

In many parts of the developing nervous system, the early patterns of connectivity are refined by processes that require neuronal activity. These processes are thought to involve Hebbian mechanisms that lead to strengthening and maintenance of inputs that display correlated pre- and postsynaptic activity and elimination of inputs that fire asynchronously. Here we investigated the role of patter...

A recent study shows conclusively that the koniocellular layers of the marmoset dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus have binocularly responsive neurons. This adds a new twist to the traditional view about binocular processing in the primate visual system and raises questions about the role of dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in early binocular processing.