Anterograde degeneration in the superior colliculus following kainic acid and radiofrequency lesions of the macaque pulvinar. 1984

D B Bender, and J S Baizer

Several studies have reported behavioral deficits following thermocoagulation of the primate pulvinar. However, these deficits may have resulted from damage to corticotectal fibers as they pass through the pulvinar. To evaluate this possibility and to determine whether kainic acid can be used to destroy pulvinar cells without damaging corticotectal fibers, we compared anterograde degeneration in the superior colliculus following kainic acid and radiofrequency lesions of the pulvinar. Kainic acid injections into the pulvinar produced total loss of neuronal perikarya within the inferior and lateral pulvinar. Four to 7 days following the kainic acid lesions, terminal and fiber degeneration within the superior colliculus was no greater than that produced by control injections of saline. By contrast, thermocoagulation lesions of the inferior and lateral pulvinar produced dense fiber and terminal degeneration throughout the superficial and intermediate layers of the superior colliculus. We conclude that whereas thermocoagulation of the pulvinar severely damages the corticotectal tract, kainic acid lesions spare these fibers of passage. Thus kainic acid lesions should provide an effective tool for studying the functional significance of the pulvinar.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007608 Kainic Acid (2S-(2 alpha,3 beta,4 beta))-2-Carboxy-4-(1-methylethenyl)-3-pyrrolidineacetic acid. Ascaricide obtained from the red alga Digenea simplex. It is a potent excitatory amino acid agonist at some types of excitatory amino acid receptors and has been used to discriminate among receptor types. Like many excitatory amino acid agonists it can cause neurotoxicity and has been used experimentally for that purpose. Digenic Acid,Kainate,Acid, Digenic,Acid, Kainic
D008252 Macaca fascicularis A species of the genus MACACA which typically lives near the coast in tidal creeks and mangrove swamps primarily on the islands of the Malay peninsula. Burmese Long-Tailed Macaque,Crab-Eating Monkey,Cynomolgus Monkey,M. f. aurea,M. fascicularis,Macaca fascicularis aurea,Monkey, Crab-Eating,Monkey, Cynomolgus,Crab-Eating Macaque,Burmese Long Tailed Macaque,Crab Eating Macaque,Crab Eating Monkey,Crab-Eating Macaques,Crab-Eating Monkeys,Cynomolgus Monkeys,Long-Tailed Macaque, Burmese,Macaque, Burmese Long-Tailed,Macaque, Crab-Eating,Monkey, Crab Eating
D008297 Male Males
D009434 Neural Pathways Neural tracts connecting one part of the nervous system with another. Neural Interconnections,Interconnection, Neural,Interconnections, Neural,Neural Interconnection,Neural Pathway,Pathway, Neural,Pathways, Neural
D001931 Brain Mapping Imaging techniques used to colocalize sites of brain functions or physiological activity with brain structures. Brain Electrical Activity Mapping,Functional Cerebral Localization,Topographic Brain Mapping,Brain Mapping, Topographic,Functional Cerebral Localizations,Mapping, Brain,Mapping, Topographic Brain
D002540 Cerebral Cortex The thin layer of GRAY MATTER on the surface of the CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES that develops from the TELENCEPHALON and folds into gyri and sulci. It reaches its highest development in humans and is responsible for intellectual faculties and higher mental functions. Allocortex,Archipallium,Cortex Cerebri,Cortical Plate,Paleocortex,Periallocortex,Allocortices,Archipalliums,Cerebral Cortices,Cortex Cerebrus,Cortex, Cerebral,Cortical Plates,Paleocortices,Periallocortices,Plate, Cortical
D004564 Electrocoagulation Procedures using an electrically heated wire or scalpel to treat hemorrhage (e.g., bleeding ulcers) and to ablate tumors, mucosal lesions, and refractory arrhythmias. It is different from ELECTROSURGERY which is used more for cutting tissue than destroying and in which the patient is part of the electric circuit. Diathermy, Surgical,Electrocautery,Endocavitary Fulguration,Galvanocautery,Surgical Diathermy,Thermocoagulation,Fulguration, Endocavitary
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013477 Superior Colliculi The anterior pair of the quadrigeminal bodies which coordinate the general behavioral orienting responses to visual stimuli, such as whole-body turning, and reaching. Colliculus, Superior,Optic Lobe, Human,Optic Lobe, Mammalian,Optic Tectum,Anterior Colliculus,Superior Colliculus,Tectum, Optic,Colliculi, Superior,Colliculus, Anterior,Human Optic Lobe,Human Optic Lobes,Mammalian Optic Lobe,Mammalian Optic Lobes,Optic Lobes, Human,Optic Lobes, Mammalian,Optic Tectums,Tectums, Optic
D013787 Thalamic Nuclei Several groups of nuclei in the thalamus that serve as the major relay centers for sensory impulses in the brain. Nuclei, Thalamic

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