Mapping of excitatory/inhibitory synaptic ratio in the lateral geniculate and mediodorsal thalamic nuclei
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Abstract
Dysregulation implicated in disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. This study quantified structural E/I ratios in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and mediodorsal nucleus (MD) of the rhesus macaque using immunofluorescent labeling for synaptophysin and VGAT, followed by confocal imaging and image analysis. Results showed higher E/I ratios in LGN main layers than koniocellular layers, and in MD parvocellular compared to magnocellular subdivisions, with core-like regions consistently exhibiting higher E/I ratio than matrix-like regions. These findings suggest that structural E/I balance aligns with core–matrix organization, providing insight into thalamocortical computation and its disruption in major neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia (SZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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2025