Thalamostriatal Projections Sample Clauses

Thalamostriatal Projections. The thalamostriatal projection, like the corticostriatal projection, provides a great gluatamatergic innervation of the basal ganglia. Numerous thalamic nuclei send projections to the striatum. The primary source of thalamostriatal projection is thought to originate from the intralaminar and midline nuclei (Xxxxxxxxx, 1984; Xxxxx Xxxx et al., 2002; Xxxxxxxxx, 1985; Xxxxx and Parent, 1986), however, minor projections from relay and associative thalamic nuclei have also been described (Xxxxxxxxx, 1984; Xxxxx Xxxx et al., 2002; Xxxxxxxxx, 1985; Xxxxx and Parent, 1986). Unlike the corticostriatal projection, the projection from the thalamus targets both the dendritic shafts and the spines of the MSN. Interestingly, it is the CM/Pf projection that selectively terminates on the dendritic shafts of the striatal MSN (Xxxx et al., 1988; Xxxxxxx et al., 1992; Sidibe and Xxxxx, 1996; Xxxxx et al., 1994; Raju et al., 2006). Additionally, the different thalamic nuclei innervate functionally different areas of striatum. For example, the medial part of CM innervates the postcommisural sensorimotor putamen. The Pf innervates the associative part of the caudate and the accumbens, while the dorsolateral Pf innervates the precommissural putamen (Nakano et al., 1990; Xxxxxxx et al., 1992; Sidibe et al., 2002; Xxxxx and Parent, 1986; Xxxxx et al., 2004). The thalamostriatal projection targets striatal projection neurons in both direct and indirect pathways, as well as ChAT, PV, and somatostatin containing striatal interneurons.