VII-The thalamic connections of the parietal and frontal lobes of the brain in the monkey

Abstract

It is well known that a large proportion of the thalamus proper functions as a relay station through which sensory impulses are projected on to the cerebral cortex. With the exception of the lateral geniculate body (whose detailed relations to the area striata have recently been worked out with great accuracy by Poliak (1933)) the precise relation of the various thalamic nuclei and their subdivisions to the different cortical areas still remains to be established. The investigation of which this communication represents a report was undertaken in the first place in order to define precisely the manner in which the main sensory nucleus of the thalamus (nucleus ventralis) is projected on to the sensory areas of the cortex. We have, however, extended our original plans to include a survey of the thalamo-cortical connections of the greater part of the frontal and parietal regions of the cerebral cortex. The work of previous investigators which bears on this question we will leave for consideration in the discussion at the end of this paper.