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1. Single-unit responses in area 24 of cingulate cortex were examined in halothane-anesthetized rabbits during stimulation of the skin with transcutaneous electrical (TCES, 3-10 mA), mechanical (smooth or serrated forceps to the dorsal body surface or graded pressures of 100-1,500 g to the stabilized ear) and thermal (> 25 degrees C) stimulation. 2. Of 542 units tested in cingulate cortex, 150 responded to noxious TCES (> or = 6 mA), 93 of 221 units tested responded to noxious mechanical (serrated forceps) and 9 of 47 units tested responded to noxious heat (> 43 degrees C) stimuli. Twenty-five percent of the units that responded to noxious mechanical stimuli also responded to noxious heat stimuli. The only innocuous stimulus that evoked activity in cingulate cortex was a "tap" to the skin and this was effective for 11 of 14 tested units. 3. In 74 units that produced excitatory responses to TCES of the contralateral ear, response latency was 166 +/- 11.3 (SE) ms and response duration was 519 +/- 52.1 ms. 4. Twenty of the 150 units that responded to noxious TCES were initially inhibited. These responses were usually < 1 s in duration (17 of 20 units), whereas responses in the other 3 lasted for over 20 s. 5. Most units had broad receptive fields, because noxious mechanical stimuli anywhere on the dorsal surface of the rabbits, including the face and ears, evoked responses. A small number of units for which the entire body surface was tested (3 of 15 units) had receptive fields limited to the ears, rostral back, and forepaws. 6. Fifteen of 33 units tested had no preferential responses to noxious TCES of the ipsilateral and contralateral ears. Of the remaining units, 10 had a greater response to contralateral and 8 had a greater response to ipsilateral stimuli. 7. The locations of 186 units were histologically verified. Most nociceptive cingulate units were in dorsal area 24b in layers III (n = 35), II (n = 13), or V (n = 9). 8. Cortical knifecut lesions were made in five rabbits to determine if the responses in area 24 were dependent on lateral or posterior cortical inputs. These lesions did not alter the percentage of units driven by noxious stimuli nor response latency. 9. Injections of lidocaine were made into medial parts of the thalamus in six animals and injection and recording sites analyzed histologically.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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The hippocampal input to the nucleus accumbens was studied by correlative electrophysiological and anatomical techniques in acutely prepared rabbits. Field and extracellular unitary potentials were recorded in the nucleus accumbens following ipsilateral fimbria stimulation. Analysis of the components of the field response was based on the relevant correlations with extracellular unitary activity. The cellular types that are the recipients of the hippocampal projection were determined by combined intracellular horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and Golgi analyses. The distribution of the hippocampal input was determined by combined field potential and current source density analyses. It was found that the ipsilateral fimbria projection was distributed to the dorsal two-thirds of the nucleus, with the projection being heaviest in the more caudal portions of the nucleus. The negative (N) component of the field response was studied by correlating its behavior with the appropriate extracellular unitary recordings. It was concluded that the N-component represented an envelope of monosynaptically activated action potentials. The positive (P) component of the field response throughout the nucleus accumbens was studied pharmacologically with the iontophoretic administration of bicuculline. The P-components, in both the dorsal and ventral regions of the nucleus, were diminished by bicuculline application, indicating that this potential results from the activation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) mechanisms. The cell populations that are the targets for the hippocampal projections were studied by the technique of intracellular staining with HRP. These results were correlated with the findings of a Golgi analysis. Two distinct cell types were found to respond in a monosynaptic manner to ipsilateral fimbria stimulation. The most common of the two were the small-to medium-sized spiny neurons, and they were distributed throughout the nucleus. These cells have a spherical dendritic arrangement. The second, and most distinctive, of the cell types were the large aspiny neurons. These cells were distributed medially and caudally in the nucleus. Two of the outstanding features of these cells were the expanse of their dendritic domains and the fact that axons originated from relatively remote portions of the dendrites.

The connections of cingulate cortex with visual, motor, and parahippocampal cortices in the rabbit brain are evaluated by using a modified Brodmann cytoarchitectural scheme, electrophysiological mapping techniques, and the pathway tracers horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and tritiated amino acids. Rabbit cingulate cortex can be divided into areas 25, 24, and 29. Area 29 is of particular interest because area 29d has a lateral extension with a granular layer IV, area 29b has a caudal extension in which the connections differ from anterior area 29b, and there is a prominent area 29e. Cytoarchitectural delineation of the lateral border of area 29d with area 17 closely approximates the medial edge of the visual field representation in area 17 as determined electrophysiologically. The main interconnections between visual and cingulate cortices occur between cingulate areas 24b and 29d and visual areas 18 and medial parts of area 17. Projections between areas 29d and 18 are organized in a loose topographic fashion with rostral parts of each and caudal parts of each being reciprocally connected. Neurons mainly in superficial layer II-III of areas 17 and 18 project to layer I of area 29d, while the reciprocal projection originates from neurons in layer V of area 29d and project mainly to layer I of areas 17 and 18. The medial portion of motor area 8 projects to areas 18 and 29d and has a smaller projection to area 17. Postsubicular area 48 is reciprocally connected with area 29d, and it also projects to areas 29b and c. The subiculum projects to areas 29a and 29c but only to the anterior two-thirds of area 29b not the posterior one-third. Rostral area 29d receives the most extensive intrinsic cingulate projections including those from all major cytoarchitectural divisions. Interconnections between areas 29d and 29b appear to be topographically organized in the rostrocaudal plane. Area 29c projects more heavily to area 29b than vice versa. Finally area 29d projects mainly to area 24b in anterior cingulate cortex. In conclusion, rostral area 29d has extensive connections with visual areas 17 and 18, motor area 8, and all subdivisions of cingulate cortex. In light of these connections, it may play a pivotal role in associative functions of the rabbit cerebral cortex including visuomotor integration.