Location of a Taste-Related Region in the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus in Rats

The thalamic reticular nucleus (Rt) plays an important role in sensory information processing in the thalamo-cortical system [1]. Physiological studies have revealed visual-, auditory-, and somatosensory-related regions in the rat Rt [1]. It is not known, however, whether any part of the Rt plays a role in taste information processing. The present study anatomically explored a region in the Rt that has connections with the thalamic taste relay nucleus and the cortical taste area.