Stereotactic Atlas of the Macaca mulatta Thalamus and Adjacent Basal Ganglia Nuclei

Despite numerous studies devoted to the thalamus, its function as a whole and specifically the functional role of the individual thalamic nuclei, outside those regions that are involved in the processing of the sensory information, still remains in the realm of speculation. The latter have been the primary focus of thalamic investigations, whereas other regions have received little attention especially in primates. Complexity of the thalamic structure that does not lend itself to easy experimentation, lack of agreement among investigators on thalamic parcelations and nomenclature, unavailability of atlases, especially in primates, that provide not only maps of the nuclear outlines but cytoarchitectonic and current experimental data used as rationale for the latter, are just some of the factors that have impeded the studies on the thalamus. The present atlas has been designed as an interactive tool for investigators interested in pursuing studies on the thalamic structure and function in nonhuman primates. The maps of the outlined thalamic nuclei based on the cytoarchitecture and available data on the distribution of subcortical afferents in the monkey thalamus are presented in both electronic and paper formats. The atlas does not aspire to present the final word in thalamic parcelations but should be regarded as a working version that may be modified as new data are accumulated. The atlas format will allow incorporate these changes and thus it can be updated with ease.