A topographic study of the course of nigral axons and of the distribution of pallidal axonal endings in the centre médian-parafascicular complex of macaques.

The combination of autoradiographic and topographic methods in macaques reveals that nigral axons only cross through the medial part of the parafascicular nucleus and end more dorsally and anteriorly in the thalamus. Pallidal endings are scarce in the centre médian and essentially located in the lateral parafascicular nucleus. It is proposed here to consider the centre médian-parafascicular complex as a part of the basal ganglia.