Corticofugal circuits: communication lines from the cortex to the rest of the brain
Open accessAbstract
Pyramidal cells in cortical Layers 5 and 6 are the only cells in the cerebral cortex with axons that leave the cortex to influence the thalamus. Layer 6 cells provide modulatory feedback input to all thalamic nuclei. Layer 5 cells provide driving input to higher‐order thalamic nuclei and do not innervate first‐order nuclei, which get their driving inputs from subcortical sources. Higher‐order nuclei innervated by Layer 5 cells thus seem to be involved with cortico‐thalamo‐cortical communication. The Layer 5 axons branch to also target additional subcortical structures that mediate interactions with the external environment. These corticofugal pathways represent the only means by which the cortex influences the rest of the neuraxis and thus are essential for proper cortical function and species survival. Here we review current understanding of the corticofugal pathways from Layers 5 and 6 and speculate on their functional contributions to neural processing and behavior.
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L5b pyramidal neurons both receive from and send information to the non-lemniscal thalamus.
“with L5b PNs acting as both recipients and sources of information to the non-lemniscal thalamus [42,43].”
From Testing circuit-level theories of consciousness in humans (2026) · cites this paper as [42]
The 'Thalamic Organization: First Order and Higher Order Nuclei' section says higher-order thalamic relays receive driving input from cortical layer 5, supporting the claim that layer 5 neurons send information to them. Our copy does not say that L5b pyramidal neurons receive information from those thalamic relays, so it does not support the reciprocal part of the claim. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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References 44 · Cited by 139
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- Casagrande VA Xu X 2004 Parallel visual pathways: a comparative perspective Chalupa LM Werner JS The Visual Neurosciences 494 506 Cambridge, MA MIT Press
- Jones EG 2007 The Thalamus: Second Edition Cambridge, U.K. Cambridge University Press
- Sherman SM Guillery RW 2013 Thalamocortical Processing: Understanding the Messages that Link the Cortex to the World Cambridge, MA MIT Press
- Usrey WM Fitzpatrick D 1996 Specificity in the axonal connections of layer VI neurons in tree shrew striate cortex: Evidence for distinct granular and supragranular systems Journal of Neuroscience 16 3 1203 1218 8558249 PMC6578811
- von Holst E Mittelstaedt H 1950 The reafference principle. Interaction between the central nervous system and the periphery Martin TbR Selected Papers of Erich von Holst: The Behavioural Physiology of Animals and Man 1 139 173 Coral Gables University of Miami Press
- Authors
- Usrey, W. M., & Sherman, S. M.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- University of Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- Usrey, W. Martin
- Venue
- Journal of Comparative Neurology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2018-03-23
- Volume
- 527
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 640-650
- ISSN
- 0021-9967 (ISSN-L)
- 1096-9861
- PMC
- PMC6131091
- OpenAlex
- W2794408934
- Cited by
- 139
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 1.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The Journal of Comparative Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS094184)
- National Eye Institute (EY012576, EY013588, EY022338)
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC00879)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- corticofugal pathways, layer 5 pyramidal cells, thalamus, thalamic nuclei, subcortical projections
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Cerebral Cortex, Humans, Nerve Net, Thalamus, Pyramidal Cells
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