The Temporo-Pulvinar Connections in the Rhesus Monkey

The purpose of this paper is to study the connections between the temporal lobe and the nucleus pulvinaris of the dorsal thalamus and to establish their origin, termination, and course.

Abstract

It is the purpose of this paper to study the connections between the temporal lobe and the nucleus pulvinaris of the dorsal thalamus. There has been controversy as to whether or not there are such connections. Even among the authors who agree that such connections exist, there is disagreement as to their origin, termination, and course. As will be described in more detail under "Historical Note" some authors17,19denied the existence of the above mentioned connections while others4,5,16affirmed their existence. Materials and Methods Monkeys subjected to total or partial temporal lobectomy, to partial lesions of the amygdaloid nucleus, or to partial lesions of the temporal neocortex were sacrificed two to four weeks after the operation and their brains were stained with the Marchi technique. These specimens were cut serially in histological sections 40μ in thickness. The Marchi method used in this investigation was the one described