Basavaraju G. Sanganahalli1, Peter Herman1,2,
Christopher J. Bailey1,3, Douglas L. Rothman1,4, Hal
Blumenfeld5,6, Fahmeed Hyder1,4
1Diagnostic Radiology, Yale University,
New Haven, CT, United States; 2Human Physiology, Semmelweis
University, Budapest, Hungary; 3Center of Functionally Integrative
Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Denmark; 4Biomedical Engineering,
Yale University; 5Neurology, Yale University, New Haven, CT,
United States; 6Neuroscience, Yale University
We
used 11.7T fMRI to study subcortical activations during tactile and non-tactile
stimuli. Forepaw stimulation activates medial portions of the lateral
thalamic nucleus. Whisker stimulation activates broader regions within the
thalamus. Visual stimulation activates superior colliculus and lateral
geniculate nucleus. Comparison with atlas-based anatomy shows that thalamic
activations were in different parts of ventroposterior and laterodorsal
nuclei, as well as medial and dorsal parts of the geniculate nucleus,
anterior and posterior regions of the pretectal nucleus, and the periaqueductal
gray region. Mainly top layers of the superior colliculus were activated.
These subcortical regions are implicated in integration of sensory stimuli