Bilateral and multimodal sensory interactions of single cells in the pigeon's midbrain

Ballam, G. O.

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(82)90336-5

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Moreover, the projections observed in the present study are consistent with somatosensory projections from the DCN to the midbrain as defined in pigeons and finches on the basis of both anterograde and retrograde tracing studies (Leibler,1975; Wild,1989,1995,1997). In pigeons, there are specific DCN projections not only to what appear to be dedicated somatosensory nuclei of the mesencephalon (Leibler,1975; Ballam,1982; Wild,1995) but also to parts of the auditory torus itself, including its central nucleus, as found in the barn owl in the present study (see Wild,1995). This apparent overlap of somatosensory and auditory projections within parts of the IC is especially noteworthy in the barn owl, in which the putative projections from the gracile nucleus are quite prominent to the outer periphery of rostodorsal parts of the nucleus.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

A pathway for predation in the brain of the barn owl (Tyto alba): Projections of the gracile nucleus to the “claw area” of the rostral wulst via the dorsal thalamus

Wild

Kubke

2008

J of Comparative Neurology

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The Wulst of birds, which is generally considered homologous with the isocortex of mammals, comprises an elevation on the dorsum of the telencephalon that is particularly prominent in predatory species, especially those with large, frontally placed eyes, such as owls. The Wulst, therefore, is largely visual, but a relatively small rostral portion is somatosensory in nature. In barn owls this rostral somatosensory part of the Wulst forms a unique physical protuberance dedicated to the representation of the contralateral claw. Here we investigate whether the input to this ‘claw area’ arises from dorsal thalamic neurons that, in turn, receive their somatosensory input from the gracile nucleus. Following injections of biotinylated dextran amine into the gracile nucleus and cholera toxin B-chain into the claw area, terminations from the former and retrogradely labeled neurons from the latter overlapped substantially in the thalamic nucleus dorsalis intermedius ventralis anterior. These results indicate the existence in this species of a ‘classical’ trisynaptic somatosensory pathway from the body periphery to the telencephalic Wulst, via the dorsal thalamus, one that is likely involved in the barn owl’s predatory behavior. The results are discussed in the context of somatosensory projections, primarily in this and other avian species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

A pathway for predation in the brain of the barn owl (Tyto alba): Projections of the gracile nucleus to the “claw area” of the rostral wulst via the dorsal thalamus

Wild

Kubke

2008

J of Comparative Neurology

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“…Neurons in Sci are extremely sensitive to tactile stimuli of the feathered integument, and there is no doubt that the nucleus comprises a distinct, primarily somatosensory component of the midbrain in the pigeon. The nucleus was not found by Ballam (1982) in his investigations of mnltimodal units in the pigeon ICo, although, as in the present study, he found somatosensory units in other parts of ICo, which surround the central toral nucleus (MLd), particularly between its dorsal border and the tectal ventricle. Distinct projections to this dorsal border zone originating in the dorsal column nuclei were found in the present study, which is consistent with the fact that somatosensory responses were encountered there as soon as the electrode passed through the tectal ventricle.…”

Section: Somatosensory Inputs To the Midbraincontrasting

confidence: 64%

“…Distinct projections to this dorsal border zone originating in the dorsal column nuclei were found in the present study, which is consistent with the fact that somatosensory responses were encountered there as soon as the electrode passed through the tectal ventricle. Ballam (1982) also found that the great majority of somatosensory units in ICo were also driven by visual stimuli and that the sornatosensory and visual receptive fields represented congruent regions of the bird's environment.…”

Section: Somatosensory Inputs To the Midbrainmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…nuclei, but only one of these, according to Puelles et al (1994), can truly be considered intercollicular. Be that as it may, the regions of "ICo" reported to receive the densest terminations from the dorsal column nuclei lie ventral to caudomedial regions of MLd and dorsal to MLd (Leibler, 1975;Wild, 1989), but only the dorsal region has thus far been investigated electrophysiologically and shown to contain units responsive to somatosensory stimuli (Ballam, 1982).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Convergence of somatosensory and auditory projections in the avian torus semicircularis, including the central auditory nucleus

Wild

1995

J of Comparative Neurology

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Projections of dorsal column, spinal, and cochlear nuclei upon the central nucleus of the torus semicircularis (otherwise known as nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis, pars dorsalis, or MLd) and upon other toral nuclei were investigated in pigeon by anterograde and retrograde tracing and electrophysiological methods. The anatomical results showed that caudal regions of the dorsal column nuclei and medial lamina V of the upper four cervical spinal segments have extensive projections upon the contralateral central auditory nucleus and upon other nuclei of the torus, in particular the core portion of the preisthmic superficial area of Puelles et al. (L. Puelles, C. Rrobles, M. Martiez-de-la-Torre, and S. Martinez, 1994, J. Comp. Neurol. 340:98-125). The projections of nucleus angularis were found to terminate throughout most of the contralateral central nucleus except the dorsomedial portion at rostral levels, where the majority of the projections of nucleus laminaris were concentrated. Nucleus angularis (and to a lesser extent nucleus laminaris) was also found to have substantial projections to certain noncentral toral nuclei, in particular to the caudomedial shell nucleus of Puelles et al. (1994). As shown positively with both Nissl and cytochrome oxidase staining and negatively with substance P labeling, this nucleus is a medial extension of more caudal regions of the central nucleus, and it is suggested that it should be included as part of the auditory midbrain. The electrophysiological results confirmed the anatomical findings by showing that evoked potentials and multiunit activity can be recorded throughout the central and noncentral toral nuclei by using electrical stimulation of the radial nerve and auditory click stimuli. The core portion of the preisthmic superficial area, however, can be regarded as a distinct somatosensory nucleus of the midbrain. It is concluded that there is substantial convergence of somatosensory and auditory inputs within both central auditory and noncentral nuclei of the torus semicircularis in pigeon.

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Birds

Dubbeldam¹

1998

The Central Nervous System of Vertebrates

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Bilateral and multimodal sensory interactions of single cells in the pigeon's midbrain

Cited by 11 publications

References 28 publications

A pathway for predation in the brain of the barn owl (Tyto alba): Projections of the gracile nucleus to the “claw area” of the rostral wulst via the dorsal thalamus

A pathway for predation in the brain of the barn owl (Tyto alba): Projections of the gracile nucleus to the “claw area” of the rostral wulst via the dorsal thalamus

Convergence of somatosensory and auditory projections in the avian torus semicircularis, including the central auditory nucleus

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