David Fürsinger

The claustrum is a subcortical nucleus that makes reciprocal connections with primary cortical areas, such as primary somatosensory, auditory, visual cortex. It also makes connections with multiple subcortical structures, such as the thalamus, putamen or the hippocampus. It has been implicated in a number of different physiological processes including motor reflexes, arousal levels, and perception. It has been proposed that the claustrum integrates perceptual modalites and therefore influences the way mammals experience and react to their environment. By studying the visual claustro-cortical circuit we plan to investigate if the claustrum can have potential integrational functions in visual processing. A first step in this investigation is to determine the projection pattern of the claustrum on the visual cortex. To do this the claustrocortical pathway will be labeled by injections of biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) into the claustrum of cats. The labelled axons will be analyzed at light and electron microscopy level. A reconstruction of the circuit provides a basis for further physiological investigations and theoretical considerations.