1 Prologue.- 2 Basic Circuits in the Visual Thalamocortical Systems and Their Physiological Aspects.- 2.1 The Lateral Geniculate-Perigeniculate Thalamic Complex.- 2.1.1 Lateral Geniculate Thalamocortical Cells.- 2.1.2 Lateral Geniculate Local Circuit Inhibitory Cells.- 2.1.3 Perigeniculate Neurons.- 2.1.4 Synaptic Organization of Lateral Geniculate- Perigeniculate Circuits and Their Physiological Aspects.- 2.1.4.1 Lateral Geniculate Glomeruli.- 2.1.4.2 Extraglomerular Lateral Geniculate Neuropil..- 2.1.4.3 The Perigeniculate Sector of the Reticular Nuclear Complex.- 2.1.4.4 Physiological Aspects of Lateral Geniculate- Perigeniculate Circuits.- 2.2 The Visual Cortex.- 2.2.1 Termination Patterns of Geniculocortical Axons.- in Striate and Extrastriate Areas.- 2.2.2 Cell Types in the Visual Cortex.- 2.2.2.1 Long-Axoned Pyramidal Neurons.- 2.2.2.2 Intrinsic Neurons.- 2.2.3 Neuronal Circuits in the Visual Cortex.- 2.2.3.1 Vertical Circuits.- 2.2.3.2 Horizontal Interactions.- 3 Regulatory Systems of the Brain Stem Core, Basal Forebrain, and Hypothalamus.- 3.1 Cholinergic Cell Groups.- 3.1.1 The Innervation of the Visual Thalamus from the Cholinergic Column of the Mesopontine Tegmentum.- 3.1.2 Cholinergic Projections of the Basal Forebrain Towards Visual Cortical Areas.- 3.1.3 Cholinergic Receptors.- 3.2 Catecholaminergic Cell Groups.- 3.2.1 Norepinephrinergic Systems.- 3.2.2 Dopaminergic Projection Systems.- 3.3 Serotonergic Cell Groups.- 3.4 Hypothalamic Cell Groups.- 4 Neurotransmitters.- 4.1 Acetylcholine.- 4.1.1 Lateral Geniculate-Perigeniculate Thalamic Nuclei.- 4.1.2 Visual Cortex.- 4.2 Monoamines.- 4.2.1 Lateral Geniculate-Perigeniculate Thalamic Nuclei.- 4.2.2 Visual Cortex.- 4.3 Amino Acids.- 4.3.1 Excitatory Amino Acids.- 4.3.1.1 Lateral Geniculate Nucleus.- 4.3.1.2 Visual Cortex.- 4.3.2 y-Aminobutyric Acid.- 4.3.2.1 Lateral Geniculate Nucleus.- 4.3.2.2 Visual Cortex.- 4.4 Final Comments.- 5 State Dependency of Visual Thalamic and Cortical Activities.- 5.1 Background Activity: Bursting and Tonic Discharge Patterns.- 5.2 Excitatory-Inhibitory Processes During Sleep Oscillations and Tonically Activated States.- 5.2.1 Responsiveness to Central Stimuli.- 5.2.2. Responsiveness to Photic Stimuli.- 5.2.3 Inhibitory Processes.- 5.2.4 Ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) Waves.- 5.2.4.1 Modulation of Lateral Geniculate Cells During PGO Waves and Eye Movement Potentials.- 5.2.4.2 Mechanism of Thalamic PGO Waves.- 5.2.4.3 Functional Significance of the Eye Movement Potentials and PGO Waves During Natural Waking and Sleep States.- 6 References.- 7 Subject Index.