Thalamic regions critical for retention of skilled movements in the rat

Adult albino rats, previously trained on two latch-box tasks, sustained discrete bilateral thalamic or cortical lesions and were subsequently tested for retention. Significant deficits on the most difficult task were associated with damage to the anterior, dorsomedial, ventromedial, ventrolateral, basolateral, parafascicular, and posterior portions of the thalamus; the pretectum; and the frontal, parietal, and anterior cingulate regions of the cortical surface. These results, coupled with earlier findings on latch-box, maze, and discrimination habits, suggest that learned manipulative acts are dependent upon the activities of three functional blocks of the brain: The first block (brainstem reticular formation and basal ganglia) may have integrative functions; the second block (parietal and anterior cingulate regions; anterior, ventromedial, ventrolateral, and basolateral thalamic areas; and cerebellum) has nonvisual sensory discrimination functions; and the third block (frontal cortex and dorsomedial thalamus) plays a role in somatosensory regulation of the distal musculature.

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