The visual-oculomotor striatum of the cat: functional relationship to the superior colliculus

Abstract

The visual-recipient sector of the cat striatum receives corticostriate input from over 15 higher visual and oculomotor-related areas of the cortex and appears homologous with the physiologically characterized region of mixed visual and oculomotor inputs within the primate caudate nucleus. This area in the cat involves the dorsolateral caudate and a strip of the caudal putamen. In a first series of experiments, the former was injected with a retrograde tracer in several cats. Thalamostriate cells were found in extensive regions, including the intralaminar nuclei, certain motor-related nuclei, and, most notably, across much of the extrageniculate visual thalamus. In another set of experiments, anterograde tracers were also injected into the superior colliculus (SC), and labeled tectothalamic fibers were observed in all thalamic sites projecting to the visual-recipient striatum. These findings highlight for the first time the need for the SC to be considered in models of thalamostriate and visual/oculomotor-striatal function(s). Moreover, the data bring to light the fact that basal-ganglia outflow reaching the SC via striatonigro-nigrotectal circuitry is well positioned to modulate ascending tecto-thalamic-thalamostriatal signals destined for the visual-recipient striatum.

Spatio-temporal visual properties in the ascending tectofugal system

“…Anatomical, physiological and functional differences between SCs and SCi the spatio-temporal properties of the SCs and SCi also show significant differences. Our results, together with earlier studies (see Introduction), suggest a functional relationship of the SCs to the geniculo-striate visual system, while the SCi is a part of the ascending tectofugal system [44,45] that also provides the visual information to the associative cortical areas along the AES [19] (Figure 3).…”

Interactions between the midbrain superior colliculus and the basal ganglia

“…Thus, in addition to descending projections to the pons and the medulla (Redgrave et al, 1987), both the superficial and deep layers of the SC have ascending connections with targets in the thalamus, including the lateral posterior nucleus (Lin et al, 1984; Abramson and Chalupa, 1988; Berson and Graybiel, 1991; Harting et al, 2001b) and the midline/intralaminar nuclear complex (Chevalier and Deniau, 1984; Krout et al, 2001). Significantly, the ascending projections of the SC specifically target regions of the thalamus that provide major afferents to the striatum and STN (Takada et al, 1985; Feger et al, 1994; Van der Werf et al, 2002) (Figure 2).…”

Pulvinar Projections to the Striatum and Amygdala in the Tree Shrew

“…A second visual pathway relays presumably unconscious visual information from the retina to the superior colliculus (SC), then to the pulvinar nucleus. The pulvinar nucleus subsequently projects to visual areas of the parietal and temporal cortex (Stepniewska et al 1999, 2000; Wong et al, 2009; Berman and Wurtz, 2010; Lyon et al 2010) as well as to the striatum (Beckstead, 1984; Lin et al, 1984; Takada et al, 1985a,b; Harting et al, 2001a,b; Harting and Updyke, 2006; Kunzle, 2006) and to the amygdala (Linke et al, 1999; Shi and Davis, 2001). Although the exact functions of the pulvinar nucleus remain obscure, a variety of studies suggest that it plays important roles in directing spatial attention as well as linking visual stimuli with context-specific motor responses.…”