A direct pathway from thalamus to visual callosal neurons in cat.

Horseradish peroxidase was injected in the right visual cortex and a large electrolytic lesion made in the left lateral geniculate nucleus of an adult cat. Neurons of origin of the callosal projection to the injected cortex were identified by retrograde labelling and selected for electron microscopic study. Degenerating thalamo-cortical axon terminals were found to contact a labelled stellate cell in layer IV and a labelled pyramidal cell in layer III at the border region of areas 17 and 18. We conclude that there is a monosynaptic pathway from lateral geniculate nucleus to the cells of origin of callosal axons to the contralateral visual cortex.