Figure 6.

Camera lucida reconstruction of two motor thalamocortical axons in the rat labeled with viral vectors. Axon fibers of IZ neurons (inhibitory afferent-dominant zone of the ventral anterior-ventral lateral motor thalamic nuclei [VA-VL complex]) were widely distributed in motor-associated areas and neostriatum (A). Of cerebral cortical layers, layer I was most intensely innervated by the axon fibers of IZ neurons (B–D). In contrast, axon fibers of EZ neurons (excitatory subcortical afferent-dominant zone of the VA-VL complex) were found only in motor-associated areas (E) and distributed mainly in cortical layers II–V (F,G). Panels (D,G) are representative planes, in which the results of 10 serial sections were superimposed onto a parasagittal plane of the fifth section. Other abbreviations: FL, forelimb region of primary somatosensory-motor area; HL, hindlimb region of primary somatosensory-motor area; M1, primary motor area; M2, secondary motor area; S1, primary somatosensory area. Courtesy of Takeshi Kaneko. Figure and legend taken from Kuramoto et al. (2009).